He accepted a basketball scholarship from Texas Tech University,[1] but did not play football during his time in college.

In the Sixties, the Dallas Cowboys employed a kicking caravan search to unearth potential kickers.

On September 6, he was traded along with tight end Austin Denney to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a third round draft choice (#71-Ed Harmon).

In 1968, with the coaching help of Ben Agajanian, he refined his technique and went on to make 25 out of 36 field goals, while scoring 100 points and becoming only the third player in franchise history to achieve that mark in a season.

He is also the last Bears kicker to make five field goals in a game, which he accomplished against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 10, during a 29–16 win.