Jack Polian – The Athletic Director at John Carroll University

Jack Polian, son of Hall-of-Famer NFL executive Bill Polian and Athletic Director at John Carroll University. His role entails keeping the Blue Streaks among the nation’s premier teams.

Polian boasts a formidable recruiting background and coaching experience at the FBS level, including serving as Nevada’s head coach from 2013-16 and Notre Dame special teams coordinator under Charlie Weis.

Early Life and Education

Jack Polian was born and raised in the Bronx of New York City. He attended Mount Saint Michael Academy before enrolling at New York University to earn an undergraduate degree in history.

Bill Polian was an NFL executive for many years before being honored with induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015. Under his direction, teams made multiple playoff appearances, with five Super Bowl victories with both Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts teams alone.

Polian was an integral member of John Carroll Athletic Department for some time, working under Jeff Behrman as head football coach and earning All-OAC second team honors while playing alongside London Fletcher (College Football Hall of Famer). Most recently he served as associate athletic director and general manager of football at LSU under Brian Kelly.

Professional Career

Jack Polian is the son of Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Bill Polian (of Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers fame), having spent 24 seasons as an executive and scout in the National Football League (NFL). Jack received both his undergraduate degree at John Carroll University as well as master’s degrees from Baylor.

Polian was appointed head coach at Nevada in 2013, guiding them to two bowl games and two victories over Power 5 opponents during his time. Rivals and Scout both recognized him as one of the top recruiters in college football during this period.

After four years at Nevada, he joined Brian Kelly’s staff at Notre Dame as special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator, earning multiple top five recruiter honors during his time there.

Achievement and Honors

Bill Polian, Jack’s father, is an iconic figure in Pro Football history. As general manager for the Buffalo Bills he made them contenders and brought Indianapolis their inaugural championship victory with Super Bowl XXV.

Polian has held head coaching duties at both the FBS and FCS levels, leading Nevada to two bowl games during his one season there. He has also worked as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, Stanford, UCF and Buffalo as well as being employed as a graduate assistant by Michigan State.

Polian has had an extended association with John Carroll, having played linebacker on their Blue Streaks team alongside College Football Hall-of-Famer London Fletcher and graduating in 1997 with a degree in history from John Carroll. Today he serves as special teams coordinator for Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football Team.

Personal Life

Personaly, Polian is married to Eileen and they have four children together – Lynn, Chris, Brian and Dennis who all followed in his footsteps by becoming football executives or assistant coaches themselves.

Polian was an undisputed force during the early ’90s, building Buffalo Bills into an NFL championship contender under his stewardship as general manager. Yet he wasn’t immune from pro football controversies like Scott Norwood’s late wide right to end Super Bowl XXV or Thurman Thomas’s misplaced helmet at the start of their loss in Super Bowl XLI.

Net Worth

Polian is an individual with significant wealth who owns valuable assets, with an estimated net worth of around $1.5 million. His net earnings come mainly from leading roles within the football industry.

He worked as the Chicago Blitz’s Personnel Director until 1983 before transitioning into general manager of the Buffalo Bills, helping turn them into an elite playoff franchise.

In 2012, he served as special teams coordinator and tight ends coach under Kevin Sumlin at Texas A&M; his team won the Cotton Bowl that season. Additionally, he served as special teams coordinator and safety coaches at UCF under Jim Hofher and Notre Dame under Charlie Weis.

He is well known for his love of rock music and holds an extensive guitar collection that includes instruments belonging to John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elvis Presley and Jerry Garcia among others.