Joe Palka
American football coach (born 1964)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Palka (born July 9, 1964) is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach for Adrian College, a position he has held since 2024.[1][2] He was the head football coach for Summerfield High School from 1988 to 1989; Central Catholic High School from 1990 to 1993;[3] Saint Joseph's College in Collegeville, Indiana, in 1995; Bryan High School from 1996 to 1997, Whitmer High School from 2006 to 2012,[4] and Saline High School from 2013 to 2023.[5] He also coached for Montpelier High School and Eastern Michigan.[6] He played college football for Grand Valley State and Eastern Michigan as a linebacker.
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Adrian |
| Conference | MIAA |
| Record | 14–6 |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | July 9, 1964 |
| Alma mater | Eastern Michigan University (1987) |
| Playing career | |
| 1982 | Grand Valley State |
| 1983–1986 | Eastern Michigan |
| Position | Linebacker |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1987 | Montpelier HS (OH) (assistant) |
| 1988–1989 | Summerfield HS (MI) |
| 1990–1993 | Central Catholic HS (OH) |
| 1994 | Saint Joseph's (IN) (DC) |
| 1995 | Saint Joseph's (IN) |
| 1996–1997 | Bryan HS (OH) |
| 2002–2003 | Adrian (assistant) |
| 2004–2005 | Eastern Michigan (co-ST/DB) |
| 2006–2012 | Whitmer HS (OH) |
| 2013–2023 | Saline HS (MI) |
| 2024–present | Adrian |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 15–15 (college) 171–38 (high school: Saline & Whitmer) |
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Joseph's Pumas (Midwest Intercollegiate Football Conference) (1995) | |||||||||
| 1995 | Saint Joseph's | 1–9 | 1–9 | 12th | |||||
| Saint Joseph's: | 1–9 | 1–9 | |||||||
| Adrian Bulldogs (Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (2024–present) | |||||||||
| 2024 | Adrian | 6–4 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
| 2025 | Adrian | 8–2 | 5–2 | 3rd | |||||
| Adrian: | 14–6 | 8–6 | |||||||
| Total: | 15–15 | ||||||||
