Bungarda was born in 1957 in Hartford, Connecticut, and attended Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.
He played college football for the Missouri Tigers from 1975 to 1978.
[1][2] He played at the defensive end position at Missouri and received the nickname "Tarzan".
He instead signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, appearing in four games during the 1979 season.
[1][2][4][5] He suffered a knee injury early in the 1981 season and did not appear in any regular-season games in 1981.