Tim Knox, the 2016 Football Scoop Operations Director of the Year, is an accomplished athletics administrator with nearly 30 years of experience across two Division I (FBS) athletic departments. He currently serves as the Associate Director of Athletics, Capital Projects & Facilities at the University of Illinois, a role he began in February 2025, after previously serving as Assistant AD in the same area since 2021.
In his current position, Knox leads and directs all facilities attendants and staff, oversees Illinois' multi-million dollar facilities budget, and manages the Illini's multi-million dollar restoration and repair budget. He oversees project management from concept through implementation, manages procurement for facilities and team needs, coordinates schedules for buildings and grounds, and acts as a university liaison for construction and contractor relations. Knox also supports Illinois' event management department in the facilitation of game days and major events.
Prior to transitioning into facilities leadership, Knox served the Illinois athletics program for nearly a decade in football operations. From 2012–2016 he was the Director of Football Operations, and from 2016–2021 he held the position of Assistant Director of Athletics, Football Operations. In those roles, he managed all facets of team travel, maintained a multi-million dollar operating budget, coordinated bowl game logistics for two postseason trips (2015, 2019), and played a key role in the design and project management of the $79.9 million Smith Football Center. He was selected for the inaugural Illini Executive Academy, served as the football program’s NCAA compliance liaison, and represented the head coach at departmental meetings.
Before joining Illinois, Knox spent 15 seasons at Western Michigan, holding positions that included Coordinator of Football Operations, Assistant Football Coach, and Director of Football Operations. His wide-ranging responsibilities included travel coordination, recruiting operations, summer camp organization, NCAA compliance oversight, and staff supervision. He coordinated official and unofficial visits, managed on- and off-campus housing logistics, scheduled officials using Arbiter Sports, and oversaw graduate assistants and quality control staff.
A 1997 graduate of Hiram College, Knox lettered four years at cornerback, earning All–Ohio Athletic Conference honors in multiple seasons and serving as team captain. He also lettered in baseball and worked as a student assistant in men’s basketball. He later earned a Master of Arts in Sports Administration from Western Michigan University in 1999.
A native of Bainbridge Township, Ohio, Knox graduated from Kenston High School in 1993, earning eight varsity letters across football, basketball, and baseball. His father, Al Knox, retired after 48 years of teaching in Northeast Ohio, having taught notable students including Halle Berry and LeBron James.
Knox and his wife, Danielle, live in Mahomet and have four children: Caleb, Langley, Kerrigan, and Finn. Their extended family remains active in athletics, with his niece coaching basketball and his nephew coaching at the collegiate level.
He has been involved in several professional organizations, including the American Football Coaches Association and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, and he remains active in the local community as a Mahomet-Seymour Youth Football Board Member and Yard Goat Baseball head coach.
