He began working for Elias Sports Bureau in 1939, while attending St. John's University in New York. After graduation, he served in the Army during WWII and was wounded in combat in Italy. He returned to Elias as an accountant after the war, and bought the company a few years later. Under his leadership, Elias became the NFL's official record-keeper in 1960. During the 1960s, the company began keeping statistics for the NBA, the NHL, and MLB.