Prior to being hired at Colorado State, Wampfler was an assistant football coach at the University of Notre Dame under Ara Parseghian.
He promised that he could turn the struggling program around in four years, but his teams went 4–7 and 3–8 in the next two seasons, failing to win more than one conference game each time.
Following a 1–10 performance in the 1972 season, alumni and students disappointed with the state of the football program called for the firing of either Wampfler or athletic director Perry Moore in December 1972.
After these events resulted in the decision to retain both men, Moore challenged Wampfler to commit to remaining with Colorado State or to resign.
Wampfler resigned from his position in early February 1973, citing a lack of confidence in the administration's commitment to the football program.