Illinois’ Tim Knox named Football Operations Director of the Year

All things considered, Illinois football’s extremely late transition from Bill Cubit to Lovie Smith went very smoothly last Spring. We’ll likely never fully know about the unimaginable amount of behind-the-scenes effort that went into making the new coaching staff comfortable in their new environment. One name that apparently deserves some more praise for that accomplishment, though, is Tim Knox.

Knox, a current Illinois Assistant Director of Athletics and Director of Football Operations, was recognized on Monday with Football Scoops’ 2016 Operations Director of the Year Award. The honor was presented at the annual AFCA Convention in Nashville after a vote from prior winners.

Here’s some further information from Illinois’ press release on the news:

Knox finished his fifth season with the Fighting Illini program in 2016. He played a big role in the smooth transition between three coaching staffs in less than a year. In his current role, Knox oversees the day-to-day operations of the football program while serving as a liaison to several groups in the athletics and university community.

His broad range of responsibilities includes the overall management of the football budget, team travel, and bowl game coordination. Knox also works closely with members of the campus community including the faculty, housing and dining, athletic academic advising. Other duties include game day management, community outreach, the coordination and planning of team events related to the football program, including pro timing day, the annual team awards banquet and special projects.