A native of Bloomfield, New Jersey, Tripucka played three varsity seasons at Lafayette and led the Leopards to a 58–22 overall record and one appearance in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT).
[2][3] That season, Tripucka averaged a school-record 26.1 points per game, which was seventh best in all of NCAA Division I men's basketball.
[4] Tripucka finished his career with 1,445 points, which through the 2015–16 season is the ninth-most at Lafayette.
[4] He went undrafted in the 1976 NBA draft, but was later inducted into Lafayette's Hall of Fame in 1989.
He is the brother of former Notre Dame and National Basketball Association (NBA) star Kelly Tripucka.