After graduation, Mazzone started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at New Mexico under head coach Joe Morrison who had succeeded Mondt in 1980. Mazzone also spent one season (1981) at Boulder High School, coaching future University of Colorado greats Tom Gebhardt and Eric McCarty. In 1982, Mazzone received his first full-time position, coaching quarterbacks and receivers under Leon FulleratColorado State. After 5 years at CSU, Mazzone was hired away by Jim Wacker to serve as quarterbacks coach at Texas Christian. When Wacker left TCU for the head coaching position at the University of Minnesota in 1992, Mazzone followed Wacker to serve the same position with the Gophers.
In 1995, Mazzone was hired as offensive coordinatorbyTommy Tuberville, who had just become head coach at Ole Miss. Tuberville left Ole Miss for Auburn in 1999, taking Mazzone with him. However, after the 2001 season Tuberville chose to replace Mazzone with Bobby Petrino.
In January 2005, Mazzone returned to Ole Miss to serve as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under head coach Ed Orgeron.[3] He was fired as offensive coordinator at the end of the 2005 season but remained an employee at Ole Miss for contractual reasons.[4]
In 2006, Mazzone took his first position in the NFL when new head coach Eric Mangini hired him as wide receivers coach for the New York Jets.[5] Mangini was fired by the Jets following the 2008 season and Mazzone's contract with the Jets was allowed to expire.
On January 4, 2010, he was hired as offensive coordinator at Arizona State University, where he was reunited with Dennis Erickson, who he previously worked under at Oregon State University.[11]
In 2012, it was announced that Mazzone would be joining Jim L. Mora's coaching staff at UCLA as offensive coordinator.[12]
On January 8, 2016, Mazzone left UCLA, and joined Kevin Sumlin's staff at Texas A&M as their offensive coordinator.[13]
On January 14, 2018, it was announced that Mazzone left Texas A&M, and joined with his son Taylor and Kevin Sumlin's staff at Arizona as their offensive coordinator.[14]
UConn director of athletics David Benedict announced on Wednesday September 15, 2021 that they have hired longtime offensive coach Noel Mazzone as an offensive analyst. His duties include “providing support to this interim head coach and offensive coordinator.”[15]