Bill Polian is the President of the Indianapolis Colts NFL team. He rose to league prominence as the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills, building a team that participated in four straight Super Bowls. Following his stint in Buffalo, Polian went on to become the General Manager of the expansion Carolina Panthers, where his initial success in building what was arguably the most rapidly successful expansion team in NFL history led to his moving on to the Colts. He has won the NFL's Executive of the Year award 5 times (1988, 1991, 1995, 1996, and 1999).

Polian was General Manager in Buffalo from 1986-1993. "When Bill Polian was promoted to general manager of the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 30, 1985, the Bills were suffering from back to back 2-14 seasons and fan interest was at an all-time low. Polian had been with the Bills since August 2, 1984. He was originally hired as director of pro personnel, where he impressed Bills Owner Ralph Wilson by telling then-coach Kay Stephenson "We were 2-14 on merit--we have the worst personnel in the NFL". On February 7, 1985, Bills general manager Terry Bledsoe suffered a heart attack and Polian was named along with, director of scouting, Norm Pollom, to handle contract negotiations in Bledsoe's absence. Polian was instrumental in the signing of Bruce Smith to his first NFL contract. This impressed the Bills' hierarchy enough to warrant a promotion to GM, after the firing of Bledsoe, in 1985. The fans were not impressed with the promotion of Polian however. Most observers considered the move business as usual, on a 2-14 team.

Polian stated in his first press conference, "I know the NFL well, I know its players, I think I'm prepared for the job." His statement proved to be true. Polian proceeded to build an NFL powerhouse. In 1986, Polian got USFL star Jim Kelly to finally come to Buffalo. He next hired Marv Levy to replace Hank Bullough as head coach. In the 1987 draft, Polian's skill as a GM was apparent as he "traded down" from the #3 slot in the first round to the #8 slot (linebacker Shane Conlon) and also acquiring the #36 slot, which was traded up with Tampa to select cornerback Nate Odomes. On October 31, 1987, Polian orchestrated one of the biggest trades in Bills history by acquiring linebacker Cornelius Bennett. In 1988, without the luxury of a first round pick, Polian drafted running back Thurman Thomas in the second round. Polian had expertly put the pieces together that would make the Bills a "championship caliber team," appearing in an NFL record, 4 straight Super Bowls. Because of his accomplishments, Bill Polian won the NFL Executive of the Year Award twice, in 1988 and in 1991.