Telling Your Story – Ron Polk (Season 1 Episode 6)

“They were part of my life and I just want to stay a part of their life. And so I'm kind of known for keeping in touch with people.”

Ron Polk said some people thought he was too young to be a head coach. He was barely off the roster himself when he started coaching at the University of Arizona in Tuscon. That was 1966.

When he moved to Georgia Southern as head coach, Polk was only a couple of years older than some of the players. And, he was just 31 years old, when he took the job at Mississippi State University. His salary was $15,000 a year.

His resume covered schools like the University of Arizona, New Mexico University, Georgia Southern, Miami, Miami-Dade University, Georgia, UAB, and the summer Cape Cod League.

Polk has coached Olympians. He has coached future big league players and future farmers. He has coached big names and big deals. He has coached guys who go home and one day coach their own kids on rec-league fields.

And, Polk, remembered them all. He spent a lot of time writing notes, celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, and occasions big and small.

He said he was time-oriented and productive. Polk multi-tasked: reading books while eating dinner, or even, driving. He mostly read non-fiction. And, when he read fiction, he said it was written by his friend, John Grisham.

Polk said he’s not much on hobbies. “Well, you show me a coach that has a lot of hobbies. I’ll show you a bad coach. They have golf clubs in their office and that’s not good because that’s five hours of non-productive time,” he said.

Polk said his job as a coach has been his hobby. The work and teams carried him around the world many times. He’s been vocal about the rules and what he believed was the right thing to do and the right way to build teams and players.

Polk spends much of his time visiting schools and clinics talking to young people, all on his own dime, to encourage the next generation of players. He is the Special Assistant to the Athletic Director at MSU. And, he spends time with the team.

To listen to the entire conversation, visit www.wcbi.com/telling-your-story-ron-polk

For information on ordering Coach Polk’s own book, “The Baseball Playbook,” check out this link: thebaseballplaybook.com