ADRIAN, Mich. — Every football coach's journey is different.
Joe Palka, a native of Lambertville, Mich., has chosen to never leave the area he grew up in despite having coached in two different states and at two different levels.
The pride of staying home led him to become a Division III head coach for the first time in his career. Adrian College hired him in November 2023 following a decade-long stint at Saline High School.
On Saturday, he began his tenure with a 55-20 win over Elmhurst University to open the season. Even more impressive was the fact that the Bulldogs trailed by 20 points in the first quarter.
"It's important to me that we leave a good first impression," Palka said. "It's important to our staff and players that we do the right things, represent well when we're at home."
Total offense amounted to 519 yards, which put a smile on the faces of program supporters. Although returning to college football brings some familiarity for Palka, he's aware of the difference.
"Every day when I walk out, I see the size and maturity of our guys and it hits you. This is not high school football, you're around a different type of athlete," Palka said.
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For nearly 40 years, Palka has put a stamp on the following northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan gridirons:
- Assistant coach at Montpelier High School (1987-88)
- Head coach at Summerfield High School (1988-90)
- Head coach at Central Catholic High School (1990-94)
- Head coach/defensive coordinator at St. Joseph's College (1994-96)
- Head coach at Bryan High School (1996-98)
- Head coach/defensive coordinator at St. Joseph's College (1994-96)
- Part-time coach at Adrian College (2002-03)
- Defensive corners coach at Eastern Michigan University (2004-06)
- Head coach at Whitmer High School (2006-12)
- Head coach at Saline High School (2012-2023)
After graduating from Central Catholic High School, Palka walked on at Eastern Michigan and earned three varsity letters as a linebacker. Whether playing or coaching high school or college, he remains grateful for every step and bond garnered along the way.
"Being in this area and coaching here is important because we don't want to let any of those people down," Palka said. "That goes for recruiting and our product on the field."
At 60 years old, those relationships continue to bold well for his vision at Adrian. Local knowledge transforms into local production.
"Zach Carter, who played at Southview, is going to play a ton in the secondary for us. He's a young guy as well as Ethan Layton who is a freshman from Dundee," Palka said. "So, when you talk about local players, a lot of them are going to play for us. Trey Bruggeman, who is a Bedford graduate, is going to play linebacker for us."
The former Kicking Mule led the team with seven tackles and two tackles for losses this past weekend.
Along with Palka's unique background comes the opportunity of family. His two sons Tyler and Jeb serve on the Bulldogs staff as assistant coaches.
"It's been a lot of fun and honestly I'd be lying to you if I didn't say that's one of the reason why I'm doing this," Palka said. "I'm at a point in my life where we have the opportunity of a small window to do it together and that certainly makes it special."
Tyler Palka, the offensive coordinator and the oldest son, helped his father lead Saline to three conference championships. Most recently as a player he competed professionally in the CFL, AFL, XFL and USFL. In 2022-23, Tyler participated in 13 games for the Houston Gamblers.
His younger brother Jeb played at Concordia University as wide receiver and punt returner. He joins Adrian College as the wide receivers coach.