Purnsley played college football at Catawba as a wide receiver and quarterback.
[1] Purnsley was the wide receivers coach at Concord College in West Virginia in 1991.
[5] The AFL did not play in 2009, so Purnsley served as the defensive coordinator for the Peoria Pirates of the af2 that year.
[10] He served as the director of player personnel, assistant head coach, and defensive coordinator for the Portland Thunder of the AFL in 2015.
[11][12] Purnsley was the head coach of the Guangzhou Power of the China Arena Football League (CAFL) in 2016, compiling a regular season record of 2–3.