GREENVILLE, Pa. (Oct. 16) -- Thiel College and Head Football Coach Sam Bauman have mutually agreed to part ways, effective immediately, during his fifth season at the helm of the Tomcat football program.
"We thank Coach Bauman for serving the Thiel football program for the past five years," Director of Athletics Isaac Collins said. "Offensive Coordinator Greg Polis will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season, and we will begin a national search immediately."
Polis is in his second season as Thiel's offensive coordinator and will assume head coaching duties for the remainder of the 2026 season. He becomes the 30th head coach in program history, marking the program's first-ever midseason head coaching change.
Polis has played a key role in the development of freshman wide receiver Isaiah Gladney, who earned PAC Newcomer of the Week and D3football.com Team of the Week honors following a breakout performance against Hiram. Gladney hauled in nine passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns, recording the ninth-highest single-game receiving yardage total in program history and the most by a Tomcat since 2016.
In his first season at Thiel, Polis helped guide the Tomcats to their highest scoring output since 2017, highlighted by a 48-point performance at Hiram, the program's most points in a road game since 2009. He also mentored quarterback Keller Herzberger, who set a program single-game record with 447 passing yards, and All-PAC running back Deon Logan.
Prior to Thiel, Polis spent five seasons at Hudson Valley Community College as offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and strength and conditioning coordinator. Under his guidance, the Vikings ranked among the nation's top offenses in NJCAA Division III, finishing fourth in scoring and third in total offense in 2024. The 2022 Phil Brown Assistant Coach of the Year, Polis coached seven NJCAA Division III All-Americans and helped numerous student-athletes advance to four-year programs.
Polis also spent eight seasons coaching at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. A former linebacker at Saint Francis, he earned his bachelor's degree from Pitt Johnstown and master's degree from Touro.
