University of Nevada Athletics

RENO, Nev. – University of Nevada athletics director Doug Knuth announced today that the University and football coach Brian Polian have mutually decided to part ways, and that Polian will not be retained as the Wolf Pack’s head coach. A national search to identify the next head coach for the program will begin immediately.

Polian was 23-27 in four years at Nevada, including a 14-18 mark in Mountain West Conference play. He led Nevada to a 4-8 record in his first year in 2013. The team went 7-6 each of the next to years, falling in the New Orleans Bowl to Louisiana-Lafayette in 2014 before beating Colorado State in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl last year.

This season, Nevada opened with three wins in its first six games – at home against Cal Poly, Buffalo and Fresno State. But a four-game slide in the end of October and early November cost the program just its second missed bowl opportunity in the past 12 years.

Under Polian, Nevada finished with records of 3-5 (2013), 4-4 (2014 and 2015) and 3-5 (2016) in Mountain West Conference play. Including Saturday’s 45-10 win over UNLV, Polian was 2-2 in games against rival UNLV.

Polian’s tenure at Nevada did see gains in off-the-field pursuits, including the program’s highest APR (Academic Progress Rate) scores in the program’s history and a team grade-point average of better than 3.0. Last year, linebacker Jordan Dobrich was named a finalist for the Campbell Trophy, the “academic Heisman” and was the program’s first-ever National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, one of just 12 in the nation.

Wolf Pack players earned All-Mountain West honors a total of 21 times during Polian’s first three seasons. In terms of academic All-Mountain West honors, Nevada saw eight players honored during his first season, 12 players honored after year two and a record 21 players earning the accolade following last season.

Statement from athletics director Doug Knuth:

“I want to thank Brian and Laura Polian for their work on behalf of Wolf Pack athletics and our community over the last four years. Coach Polian will leave an important legacy of academic excellence over four years while also bringing the Fremont Cannon home in 2016. He and Laura will also leave an important legacy of fundraising to support important causes in our community, including National Adoption Awareness, Moms on the Run and ‘Each One. Tell One.’ I expect both legacies will endure and we are grateful for these efforts. I wish Brian, Laura and their family well as they move forward.

“I am proud of our team and couldn’t be happier for the way they ended a tough season. The future is very bright for Wolf Pack football and I’m excited to watch and cheer for the team as they hunt for a championship in 2017. Champions know the hunt for a 2017 championship begins with their off-season preparation and I’m certain our team leaders will keep the team focused on that goal beginning today. The Fremont Cannon is home where it belongs and we will work every day to make sure it stays there for a long time.

“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. The support from those constituencies is vital to the success of building a championship program.

“I will have no additional comment on the transition or search for a new head coach.”

Statement from University president Marc Johnson:

“I have respected the way Coach Polian emphasized academic and life achievement among his student-athletes, and I wish Brian and Laura Polian and their family great success in the future."

Statement from Brian Polian:

“I appreciate the opportunity that I was given by President Johnson and the University of Nevada four years ago. 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.

“Recognizing the frustrations of this year, there are also a number of things that I am very proud of. We have appeared in two bowl games, achieving only the fourth bowl win in the modern history of the program. Despite some of the competitive challenges that exist here, we rank sixth out of 12 in the MW in win-loss record during our tenure. Nevada has seven victories against power five opponents and we achieved two of them.

“Most importantly, I believe that we have served our student-athletes well and have had a positive impact in their lives. We have taken this team to unparalleled academic heights by recording the two highest APR scores in the history of the program and our student-athletes have represented the University in a first-class manner.

“Thank you to all of the people in the University and Reno communities that welcomed our family and treated us kindly. Thank you to all of the support staff in the athletics department that we had the pleasure to work with. Finally, a heartfelt thank you to the coaches and players who devoted themselves with passion and energy to the Wolf Pack Family – I appreciate each and every one of you.”