Football

Originally from Great Barrington, Mass., Chris Polizzi joins the Golden Eagle staff after having held positions at Central Methodist, UCLA, Utah, Iowa and, most recently, Western Carolina.

Polizzi joined the Western Carolina coaching staff in July of 2015 after spending three years as a defensive graduate assistant coach at the University of Iowa. Coaching the cornerbacks, Junior Trey Morgan earned 2nd Team All-Conference distinction in 2015.

During his time on staff at Iowa, Polizzi worked with Defensive Coordinator Phil Parker coaching the secondary. He worked with current NFL safety Micah Hyde, who was named a first-team All-Big Ten selection and also won the Tatum-Woodson Award, annually given to the best defensive back in the conference in 2012. The Hawkeyes earned a spot in the 2014 Outback Bowl vs LSU and the 2015 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Tennessee during Polizzi’s time in Iowa City.

Prior to Iowa, Polizzi served as a graduate assistant coach at Utah in 2011 where he coached the tight ends and assisted with the defensive scout team, leading to a win over Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl.

Polizzi joined the Utah staff after two years as a quality control coach at UCLA working with the secondary there. The Bruins capped the 2009 season with a win over Temple in the Eagle Bank Bowl. He arrived in Westwood after four years on the staff at Central Methodist University in Fayette, MO. His final two years at CMU he coached the secondary for the Eagles.

Polizzi began his coaching career in 2005 as the wide receivers and tight ends coach at Central Methodist University in Fayette, Mo., spending four-years on staff where he coached both the tight ends and wide receivers and the defensive secondary.

A four-year starting cornerback for Lake Forest (Ill.) College from 2001-04, Polizzi helped win one conference championship in 2002, as well as win a combined 28 games in his four years, the most wins by a class in school history.

Polizzi graduated Lake Forest in 2005 with a degree in communications and later earned a master's degree in special education from Central Methodist in 2007. He earned a second master’s in Sport Management from the University of Iowa in 2014.

Polizzi is married to the former Kelli Ritter, the head athletic trainer at Cumberland University.