COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Polk Brown, who is entering his fourth season as head coach of the Tennessee Tech men's and women's golf teams, has received a three-year contract extension through the 2016-17 season.
The contract extension was announced by Director of Athletics Mark Wilson.
"It is an honor to be asked to come back for three more years. We've been working very hard, and I'm appreciative of the faith that the staff has in the work we've put in and what we've accomplished to this point," Brown said.
Wilson said the golf programs under Brown's direction have not only been competitive, but the student-athletes on the two teams have also been outstanding in the classroom and within the community.
"We're so proud of what the golf teams have been able to accomplish these last three years under Polk's leadership, especially in their success in the classroom, and we see more of that same success in store in the coming years," Wilson said. "Polk is a first class individual and an outstanding leader of young women and men in the role of head coach."
A product of the Golden Eagle program, Brown was a four-year letterman at Tech under Hall of Fame coach Bobby Nichols from 2001 to 2006, with a redshirt season in 2003-04.
"It is such a privilege to represent not only where I played, but everything 'Coach' [Bobby Nichols] built and try to build it forward. It's something special to me. I love coming to work every day. Can't think of any place I'd rather be."
Brown sees outstanding things ahead during the next three years for the Tech golf programs.
"It will be exciting. There are some great times ahead for us. We're going to see big some changes coming," he said.
Brown was originally named to the head coaching position July 21, 2011.
Among the team highlights of the past few years on the course, the men's team placed 2nd at Grover Page Invitational in 2013-14 and claimed third place at the 2013 OVC Championships. The Tech women captured first place at the 2013 Bobby Nichols Intercollegiate in Sevierville.
The success of the two teams has been consistent in the classroom during Brown's first three seasons.
The women's golf team was honored in May with its third consecutive Public Recognition Award from the NCAA, a list that places the Golden Eagles among the top academic performers in the nation. The most recent APR report in May showed the women with a perfect 1,000 score to top all of Tech's women's programs during the period, and the men scored a 992, topping all of the TTU men's programs in the report.
When team grades were compiled for the most recent semester, the women's golf team made it three straight semesters above the 3.0 plateau with a 3.439 mark, while the men's team made it five consecutive semesters with a 3.434 team GPA.
Brown received his bachelor's degree in finance from Tech in 2006, and completed his coursework in August, 2011, adding his master's degree in curriculum and instruction. He spent his first year after graduation as an Apprentice at Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville, returning to Tech in 2009 to begin work toward his master's. He has also worked for two years at Oak Ridge Country Club teaching and hosting junior clinics.
As a player, Brown earned all-tournament honors three times during his career, including the Mercer Invitational as a freshman and the EKU Spring Invitational as a senior. A team captain in his final year, he finished fifth at the 2006 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to claim his third all-tournament honor. In 2001-02 he won the Most Improved Player Award and the Impact Award, and in 2005-06 he received the team's Most Dedicated Player Award.
