Mike Pollio
Mike Pollio (born May 12, 1943)
Teams coached: Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers, VCU Rams, Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Kentucky Wesleyan record^: 117-35 (.770)
VCU record: 65-57 (.554)
Eastern Kentucky record: 51-41 (.554)
Overall record^: 233-134 (.635)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (1988)
- GLVC (Div II) Regular Season Champion: 3 (1983, 1984, 1985)
- NCAA Division II Final Four: 3 (1982, 1984, 1985)
- NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances: 4 (1982, 1983, 1984, 1985)
Awards:
- GLVC (Div II) Coach of the Year: 3 (1981, 1983, 1984)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1989-1992 | Eastern Kentucky |
| 1985-1989 | VCU |
| 1980-1985 | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| 1975-1980 | Old Dominion (asst) |
Mike Pollio Facts
- Mike Pollio
- Born May 12, 1943
- Alma Mater: Bellarmine College (BA, 1965)
- Spent five years as an assistant coach under Paul Webb at Old Dominion
- Hired in 1980 to be head coach at D-II Kentucky Wesleyan, leading the Panthers for five successful seasons
- After going 16-12 in his first year, his teams won 22+ games and reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the next four
- Won three Great Lakes Valley titles and reached the D-II NCAA Final Four three times (1982, 1984, 1985)
- Also served as athletic director, reviving the school’s football program in 1983 after over 50 years on hiatus
- Turned the program over to assistant Wayne Chapman in 1985; the Panthers would win the D-II national title just two years later
- Later inducted into the Kentucky Wesleyan Hall of Fame (class of 2014) for his contributions as coach and AD
- Moved back to the Division I ranks, taking over as the head coach of the VCU Rams
- Went 65-57 overall, highlighted by a 23-12 record and NIT Quarterfinal finish in 1987-88
- Last collegiate head coaching role was at Eastern Kentucky, where he went 51-42 in three seasons at the helm
- From 2002-2010, Pollio served as the commissioner of the NAIA Mid-South Conference (headquarters in Louisville, KY)
Mike Pollio Coaching Tree
- Wayne Chapman (Kentucky Wesleyan)
- Bobby Collins (Shaw, Maryland Eastern Shore, Winston-Salem State, Hampton)
- Scott Davenport (Bellarmine)
- Ray Harper (Jacksonville State, Western Kentucky, Oklahoma City, Kentucky Wesleyan)
- Tubby Smith (High Point, Memphis, Texas Tech, Minnesota, Kentucky, Georgia, Tulsa)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and Division II levels
