He was most recently the head coach of the Italy national American football team from 2014-2023, which was formed to compete in the EFAF European Championship.
He was also the head coach of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs from 1983 to 1986, tallying a mark of 30–34.
Prior to his arrival, the Demon Deacons went 1–10; Mackovic led his teams to a 14–20 record, including their first bowl game in 30 years.
However, owner Lamar Hunt fired Mackovic only days after they were eliminated in the first round due to a lack of chemistry.
Other candidates before Mackovic was hired had included defensive coordinator Howard Tippett, Dennis Green and Jack Bicknell.
Following his firing at Texas, Mackovic became a college football analyst for ESPN in 1998 for whom he worked until January 2001, when he accepted the head coaching job for the University of Arizona.
This and other incidents led 40 players (including future Pro Bowler Lance Briggs) to hold a secret meeting with school president Peter Likins.
[3][8] However, whatever goodwill that he'd managed to restore quickly evaporated a season later; quarterback Nic Costa said that despite a very talented roster, many players had lost their love for the game due to Mackovic's brusque manner.
In 2014 he took over as head coach of the Italy national American football team and led them to the 2021 IFAF European Championship.