He nearly quit the sport as a sophomore, but as a senior he helped the Thunderbolts reach the state championship game and was named First Team Denver Post All-State.

During his senior campaign he was named First Team All-State, All-Metropolitan and All-City by both the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post newspaper.

He was the only player that participated in all the games for the UCLA teams that went 89–1 (.989),[4] the best winning percentage in NCAA men's basketball history.

He did not play, but instead returned to UCLA to where he was an assistant basketball coach under Wooden, Gene Bartow, Gary Cunningham and Larry Brown from 1973 to 1981.

His stint was interrupted in 1974–75, when Farmer played professionally for ADB Koblenz in the German Basketball Bundesliga.

[6] When Brown resigned prior to the 1981–82 season, Farmer was elevated to head coach of the UCLA basketball team.

His college coaching experience also includes a stint as an assistant at Rhode Island (1997–98), where he helped the Rams reach the Elite Eight.