As a player, Waters played under head coach Everett Case at North Carolina State University. Only NC State's national championship teams of 1974 and 1983 surpassed the Wolfpack's second-ranked team of the Waters' era.
As a coach, Waters spent four years at West Virginia University and ten years at Duke University producing winning records and postseason tournament teams at both universities. Waters is one of only four individuals in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history to be on conference basketball championship teams at two different universities—first as a player at NC State (1956), then later as an assistant coach at Duke University (1960, 1963, 1964). He is also one of only six ACC players to become an ACC head basketball coach.
In the 18 years of college basketball as player and coach Waters participated in five conference championships, five NCAA tournaments, three National Invitation Tournaments, and two Final Fours.[2] His 14th years of experience as both player and coach in the ACC found him in the top half of his conference every year. As head coach at West Virginia, Waters maintained a winning record against his former school. His Mountaineers won two of three over the Blue Devils, including a victory in 1966 over the top-ranked, undefeated Blue Devils, that went to the Final Four.[3]
Waters married Dorothea Walter on September 1, 1956. They have three children (Michael, Terry, and Linda), twelve grandchildren, and three great grandsons.
Retired after 41 years at Duke University, having reached title of Vice Chancellor for Alumni and Development at Duke Medical Center, and served as an officer of Duke University in that position
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion
Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion
Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion