IHSA Assistant Executive Director
sknox@ihsa.org
Sam Knox was named to the position of Assistant Executive Director by the IHSA Board of Directors on December 14, 2015. He started at the IHSA on July 11, 2016 as the administrator responsible for football, wrestling, baseball, and the officials department.
Knox is a 1991 graduate of Mendon (Unity) High School where he participated in football, basketball, and baseball. In 1995, he earned an Elementary Education degree from Illinois College, where he also participated in football. After graduation from IC, Knox returned to his home school district to begin his career in education. He was a sixth grade teacher and coached football and boys basketball. In his final two years at Unity, Knox also served as the middle school and high school Athletic Director. Knox earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Western Illinois University in 2003.
After a decade at his alma mater, Knox moved to Lincoln Community High School in 2005 to become the Activities Director. In addition to his role as the AD at Lincoln, Knox coordinated Central State 8 Conference master schedules in a variety of sports for the ten-team league. He held the position of Treasurer for the Illinois Athletic Directors Association for two years and served on various IHSA committees including the Legislative Commission and the Basketball Advisory Committee. He earned the Certified Athletic Administrator designation from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in 2014.
Knox is also an IHSA official in basketball and baseball and has officiated high school events for over 20 years.
Sam and his wife, Marsha, live in Bloomington with their three children; Adam, Emily, and Andy.