Career
In 31 seasons as an Securities and Exchange Commission coach he compiled a 1139-590-2 (667) record. His career record stands at 1373-702-2. He currently ranks 8th on the all-time wins list nationally.
His teams participated in the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament twenty-three times, and reached the College World Series eight times.
187 players who played under him as a Head Coach signed professional baseball contracts. 27 of these players played in the major leagues.
He coached 35 All-Americans and 76 All-Southeastern Conference players. During his tenure at Mississippi State, Polk had eight players drafted in the first round of the professional baseball draft.
He is one of only three coaches in college baseball history to coach at three different schools that have played in the College Word Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Georgia Southern University - 1973. Mississippi State University - 1979, 1981, 1985, 1990, 1997, 2007. University of Georgia - 2001.
He coached teams that played in Omaha in over a period of five decades (nine appearances) including as an assistant coach at the University of Arizona in 1966.
Four of Polk"s Mississippi State teams climbed to a #1 ranking in the country during the course of a given season (1985-1989-92-06). American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (1995).
State of Mississippi Athletic Hall of Fame (1998). Mississippi State University Athletic Hall of Fame (1998).
National College Baseball Hall of Fame (2009).
He is a Former President of the American baseball Coaches Association (1985). Mississippi State University named the baseball stadium The Polk-Dement Stadium (1997). Coach Polk has also completed seven tours on the United States.A. National baseball team coaching staff serving as the head coach two times and as an assistant five times.
Polk has authored two textbooksThe Baseball Playbook and The Baseball-Softball Playbook.
These two textbooks are the leading teaching textbooks used in teaching baseball and softball classes in Colleges and Universities. From 1972 to 1975, he served as the head coach at Georgia Southern.
From 2000 to 2001, he coached at Georgia. He has also served as an assistant coach at Arizona, and New Mexico.
On July 28, 2008, Polk was announced as a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers baseball squad.
The Blazers are coached by Polk"s former Moscow State University assistant Brian Shoop. On March 24, 2009, Polk, along with former Mississippi State player, Rafael Palmeiro, was elected to College Baseball"s Hall of Fame. Coach Polk now coaches each summer in the Cape Cod league with the Hyannis Harbor Hawks baseball team