The Online Reflector

By Abby Schwarz | Staff Writer

It’s Friday night, the stands are packed with loyal Greyhound fans, and whether the football team wins or loses comes down to this last play.

In the next moment, everything goes according to plan and the Greyhounds smash their opponents in a victory. The team and coaches celebrate, much like a family, with high fives and cheers all around. Little do some know that two members of the current football family are related by more than the sport.

Head coach Joe Polizzi has a first-time opportunity to coach his own son, Ben Polizzi, this year. Coach Polizzi has been with the UIndy program for a number of years, and has been head coach since January 1994. He has played football his entire life.

Ben seems to be following in his father’s footsteps.

“My whole life growing up, everything was football, because my dad was always coaching…. It was the only thing I knew,” Ben said. “It was the first sport I really got introduced to.”

Ben has never played for his dad before this, his freshman year, but he said that his dad has always been like a coach to him. He explained that playing for his dad this year is not so different, because his dad was always helping him out and filling him in if he did not understand something throughout the years.

Ben said he has noticed that college football is much more competitive than high school football because of scholarship players, among other things. He said he feels that he needs to prove himself as a good player right away, so the coaching staff and other players do not feel that he is playing merely because he is the coach’s son.

“To me what should happen is that Ben should earn respect on his own merit,” Coach Polizzi said. “He’s not the kind of guy that’s going to try to get out of things.”

Coach Polizzi said he feels that having his son on the team is a plus. He feels the football team and coaching staff already are much like a close-knit family already, and having Ben around just makes it that much stronger.

The Polizzi family itself is close-knit. All three of the coach’s children have attended, or are attending, the University of Indianapolis. His oldest daughter, Toni, graduated in 2007. His other daughter, Annemarie, is currently a senior and first-year graduate student in the occupational therapy program.

Coach Polizzi said he emphasizes the same thing with his own children that he does with the students he coaches. He feels that the most important thing they can do while they are here is to earn their degree.

“The No. 1 goal of our program is that our young men have a great experience while they’re here and that they graduate,” Coach Polizzi said.

Toni, Annemarie and Ben have grown up around the UIndy football program. Ben grew up a Greyhounds fan, attending many of the games and looking up to the players, and Toni and Annemarie also have played a role by occasionally selling t-shirts or taking tickets.

“I think it’s great [Ben plays for dad]. My family has always been coming to the games to watch my dad coach and watch the team, but now it’s great to have him [Ben] on the team,” Annemarie said.

Father, son and daughter all seem to agree that being here together has been, is and will continue to be a great experience.