He then played for UMS Prep (now known as UMS-Wright Preparatory School) in Mobile, Alabama, during his senior year, averaging 21.6 ppg/11.2 rpg before graduating in 1982.

The Bruins were ranked 1st nationally for their recruiting class in 1994 and produced future NBA players Ed O'Bannon, George Zidek, Tyus Edney, Don MacLean, Tracy Murray, Trevor Wilson, Darrick Martin and Mitchell Butler.

On January 26, 2009, after the controversial departure of player Ronald Steele and an underperforming season at that point, Gottfried met with Alabama Athletics Director Mal Moore and resigned mid-season.

[6] On April 5, 2011, Gottfried accepted the job as head coach of the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team.

To celebrate the upcoming basketball season, Gottfried planned to perform a tandem skydive into Carter Finley Stadium during halftime of a football game.

[7] On March 11, 2012, the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team received an 11th seed in the NCAA tournament.

[8] On March 18, 2012, Gottfried's 11th-seeded Wolfpack team defeated the 3rd-seeded Georgetown Hoyas in the 3rd round of the NCAA Tournament, earning a Sweet 16 berth.

During the 2014–2015 season, NC State picked up wins against two Top 10 conference opponents (Jan 11 vs Duke and Feb 14 vs Louisville).

[10][better source needed] On January 23, 2017, Gottfried earned his 400th career win as a head coach by defeating #17 Duke in an 84–82 thriller at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

[13] In July 2019, the NCAA charged NC State with a series of violations regarding the recruitment of former star Dennis Smith Jr.

[14] In December 2021, the NCAA placed NC State on one year of probation for the violations and ordered the Wolfpack to vacate all of its wins in 2016–17.

[18] The infractions case at NC State was announced shortly after the end of Gottfried's first season, leading Yahoo!

[14] In April 2021, CSU Northridge placed Gottfried and his staff on leave amid an internal investigation into potential rules violations in the basketball program.

[19] He never returned; he and CSU Northridge mutually agreed to part ways in December 2021, shortly after he was handed a show-cause penalty for the violations at NC State.

His father, Joe Gottfried, is a former NCAA Southern Illinois Univ-Carbondale basketball coach and retired as director of athletics at the University of South Alabama in 2009.