Brian Polian has had a storied career as a football coach, working with some major programs including the University of Notre Dame, Stanford and Texas A&M. Currently, he’s vice president for athletics and the newly named head football coach at his alma mater, John Carroll University. He’s former football player, the son of Bill Polian, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, and the brother of Chris Polian, a Cleveland Browns/NFL advisor
Although football is important to the Polians, “I’ve been trying to get out of my dad’s shadow for 30 years,” Polian quipped.
Just before the Super Bowl (Feb. 8), he spoke to the First Friday Club of Greater Akron (on Feb. 6). The presentation included much more than football. After nearly three decades in collegiate athletics, he reflected on communicating and building relationships with Generation Z, those born 1995-2010.
“I’ve been working with young people my entire career,” Polian told the group, which included students from St. Vincent-St. Mary and Archbishop Hoban high schools and St. Mary School, all in Akron.
He gave his first presentation on the topic just before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown in 2020. Taking advantage of the extra time during the shutdown, Polian developed a book based on his talk, “Coaching and Teaching Generation Z: Honor the Relationships.”
He told the group about a Notre Dame football player whose family immigrated from Africa. A few years later, his father abandoned the family and returned to Africa, leaving the youth to be raised by his mother and aunt, which resulted in relationship problems with men. As long as things went well, the young man performed well. But it was challenging to connect with him and to build trust.
Polian compared the Greatest Generation, “they were shot at in the Normandy invasion during World War II,” and “Gen Z, “they are shot at in school,” he said, adding they face added security everywhere.
Cell phones are the greatest and the worst things to happen to us, he said, noting they can prevent people from developing interpersonal relationships. And social media can be damaging to their psyche.
As leaders, he said it’s important to know those you are leading. “Know about their lives, what’s going on. Know their stories. Invest in them.” That applies to both student and adult leaders/coaches. Today’s young people rely on adults for love, connection, discipline and setting standards, Polian said.
He explained that his relationship with God is not a consumable one. “It’s not about the outcome. It’s a journey,” he said, reminding the audience they will encounter much adversity in life.
Conversely, college football has become a very transactional thing. The coaching methods used by many prominent coaches from the past are no longer acceptable, he said. “Those methods don’t work today … As the world evolves, so must we.”
Polian sees younger people shooting up the ladder in coaching and other careers. “They have the relationship experience, but they don’t have callouses on their hands,” he said, noting they don’t have enough life experience.
“We need to meet the young people where they are … Their attention span is very short, so you have little time to make an impression … Pick your battles and focus on what really counts.”
The next First Friday program on March 6 will feature a panel of high school students from the Catholic schools in Summit County sharing how God walks with them. Click here to make a reservation.