As a professional footballer, he played for Anagennisi Karditsa, AEL, Ionikos and Paniliakos.
Tsiolis, a great player at his prime years, was a Greek Football Cup winner in 1985 and an Alpha Ethniki champion in 1988 with Larissa.
[1] He also made four appearances for Greece national football team in 1988, scoring once.
From 1996 to 2001 he worked as a semi-professional manager for Anagennisi Karditsa (twice), Nafpaktiakos Asteras (twice), Preveza and Panelefsiniakos.
In the following years he managed Kalamata, Ionikos, Levadiakos, Thrasyvoulos, Olympiakos Volou, Aris Thessaloniki and AEL.