Nevada coach Brian Polian not returning in 2017
Nevada is looking for a new head coach.
The school said Sunday it had mutually agreed to part ways with coach Brian Polian. 2016 was Polian’s fourth season as coach of the Wolf Pack. Nevada beat UNLV on Saturday to finish the season at 5-7.
“I appreciate the opportunity that I was given by President [Marc] Johnson and the University of Nevada four years ago,” Polian said in a statement. “I felt, and continue to feel, that we were building a solid foundation for this program. However, this season was fraught with adversity and in the end, we did not win enough games. Like every coach, I understand that this is a business. I wish we would have produced better results in 2016.”
[Check out Dr. Saturday on Tumblr for entertaining things you won’t see on the blog]
After a 4-8 first season in 2013, Polian’s teams went 7-6 in 2014 and 2015. Nevada lost the New Orleans Bowl after the 2014 season and beat fellow Mountain West team Colorado State in last season’s Arizona Bowl to finish with a winning record. Polian finishes his Nevada career with a 23-27 record.
The son of former NFL general manager Bill Polian, Brian Polian was the special teams and tight ends coach at Texas A&M in 2012 before taking the Nevada job. He replaced Chris Ault, who took the teams to bowl games every season from 2005-2012.
“This decision is about finding a new head coach who will help us win a championship, and who will continue to build and strengthen relationships within our department, our campus, our alumni and our great community,” athletic director Doug Knuth said. “The support from those constituencies is vital to the success of building a championship program.”
[Visit Dr. Saturday on Facebook for stories you might have missed and chat with the writers]
– – – – – – –
Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
