Malley, whose grandfather was an Irish immigrant, was born in Arizona and attended Santa Clara University, where he played college football.
[4][5] The success of Malley's teams prompted the school to promote the program back to the AAA level.
"[4]Malley moved on to the University of San Francisco in 1936 to serve as an assistant football coach under Spud Lewis.
[7] In 1939, a San Francisco newspaper article before the game against Loyola had a headline quote that referred to Malley's worries over the hot weather conditions his team would face in Los Angeles.
A San Jose Evening News writer sardonically noted that, with Malley's extensive bad luck on the football field, "the heat may be on from several sources!