Malley attended Santa Clara University, where he played on the football team, including on the 1950 Orange Bowl championship squad.[citation needed] He returned to his alma mater and became head coach for the 1959 season. Malley amassed a 141–100–4 record with only five losing seasons. Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury-News credited Malley with a revival of football at Santa Clara after the school relegated its team to the Division II level. Purdy wrote, "Malley was the grandfather or uncle who looked after everyone. The men who played for him still talk of him today in reverent tones."