Bumgardner grew up in West Virginia and helped lead his high school basketball team to a state championship in 1941. He attended West Virginia University following a stint in the military during World War II, playing on the school's football team in 1946 and 1947. He then started his professional career with the Bills of the AAFC, where he remained for two seasons before joining the Browns in 1950. Cleveland won the NFL championship game that year, aided by a diving touchdown catch by Bumgardner late in the fourth quarter.