Leading Edge Strategies for Managing and Marketing the Business of Sport
The 17th Annual PrimeTime Sports Management Conference and Trade Show Presented by MLSE
November 10-12, 2024 Westin Harbour Castle Hotel Toronto, Canada
2024-11-10
Bill Polian
NFL Analyst – ESPN
Former President and Vice Chairman – Indianapolis Colts
Bill Polian is a former NFL executive and current football analyst for ESPN. From 1998 to 2011, Polian was the President and Vice Chairman of the Indianapolis Colts until 2011. During this time, Polian helped rebuild the Colts through the draft and, most significantly, played a key role in the decision to draft Peyton Manning first-overall in 1998.
He was also the Carolina Panthers’ first General Manager, bringing the team to the NFC Championship game in only its second year as a franchise. Prior to his time in Carolina, Polian was the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills in the early 1990s when the Bills famously participated in four-straight Super Bowls, the most consecutive appearances of any team in history. He has been named NFL Executive of the Year six times.
Polian was hired in 2012 to be a football analyst for ESPN, where he uses his expertise to report on the NFL Draft, free agency and business-related aspects of the NFL.