Ben Fox, offensive coordinator at Centre, will be the next head football coach at Maryville.
Sara Quatrocky, interim athletics director, made the announcement today in a memorandum to the campus community that highlighted Fox's qualifications as a coach of nationally ranked offenses at two Division III schools and as an all-conference quarterback and defensive back at another.
He will be the 30th football coach in the 123-year history of football at MC.
Fox replaces Shaun Hayes, who resigned in November to spend more time with his family. The Scots went 31-19 in his five seasons, including 3-7 in the fall of 2019, the last time Maryville took the field.
"I am excited for Coach Fox to lead our football program by creating a culture that supports student-athlete success through fostering relationships, prioritizing academics, providing character and leadership development and engaging in collaborative community partnerships," Quatrocky stated in the memo. "Our student-athletes will benefit from Coach Fox's core values and mentorship."
Maryville College launched a national search for the position at the end of November, following the resignation of head coach Shaun Hayes, who compiled a 31-19 record in five seasons. The eight-week search process was led by Quatrocky and women's basketball coach Darrin Travillian and involved representatives from the student body, faculty, staff, cabinet, board and alumni. Quatrocky wrote in her memo that the college received applications from numerous qualified candidates from across the country.
"Coach Fox's candidacy stood out from others because of his proven ability to develop winning teams; his understanding of and strong belief in Division III athletics; his commitment to student success; his dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion, including recruiting and supporting student-athletes reflecting multiple tenets of diversity; and his familiarity with the college's recruiting territory," she stated.
National rankings
Fox has nearly 12 years' experience coaching at the collegiate level – eight years spent with Division III schools. In addition to Centre, he has coached at Huntingdon (2012-2016) and Bryant (2009-2011). At each of the three schools, he coached under the football program's all-time winningest coach.
Fox coordinated nationally ranked offenses at both Huntingdon and Centre, and he produced 26 All-Southern Athletic Association performers at Centre. While on the coaching staff at Centre, the Colonels posted a 24-8 record and reached the NCAA Division III Playoffs.
During his four seasons as Huntingdon's wide receivers coach, the Hawks generated more than 10,900 yards of passing offense and 104 passing touchdowns. Promoted to offensive coordinator, Fox saw his offense ranked third in all of Division III with 543.9 yards per game, as well as eighth in the country in scoring offense at 45.3 points per game.
In 2017, Fox's first season at Centre, the Colonels ranked second in the conference for scoring offense, rushing offense, team passing efficiency and third-down conversion percentage, the latter of which Centre finished 12th in Division III.
In the following season, Fox coached quarterback and SAA Offensive Player of the Year Tanner Young, who set a school record with 31 passing touchdowns and led the SAA in touchdowns, passing yards, passing efficiency and yards per completion. The Centre offense also led the league in total scoring (seventh in the nation), scoring average, total offense, passing offense and first downs. The team's passing efficiency was fourth in Division III, while the yards-per-completion ranked second.
The 2019 season saw Centre's offense average 376 total yards per game that led to 32 touchdowns and a 26 points-per-game average.
Familiar with East Tennessee
Quatrocky said that Fox should be an effective recruiter for the program because of experience gained at Huntingdon and Centre.
"Coach Fox brings to MC strong relationships with high schools in the Southeast, having previously recruited extensively in East Tennessee, including schools in Blount and Knox counties," she stated in the memo. "He knows how to engage student-athletes who excel on the field and in the classroom."
Fox is personally connected to the area and to the student-athlete experience.
He was a four-year letterman in football and basketball at Daniel Boone High School in Gray, Tenn., where he graduated valedictorian of his senior class. He was a four-year letterman at Washington U., where he played quarterback and defensive back. He earned academic all-conference honors in the University Athletic Association in his senior season.
He earned a bachelor of science degree in business administration from WashU and an M.B.A. from Bryant.
Fox and his wife, the former Katherine Poeltl, have a daughter, Kinsley Paige and a son, Bowen.
Ready to begin
Fox said he and his family feel "humbled and excited" to be part of a new chapter of the College and its football program.
He officially joins Maryville's staff on Feb. 1 and will have a busy schedule on Day 1.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the USA South Athletic Conference postponed its fall 2020 football season until spring 2021. The Scots begin workouts today in preparation for a four-game divisional challenge within the league. They are set to open the season at home against Huntingdon on Feb. 27.
"We know that there is a lot of work ahead, beginning with forming relationships with the players on our roster," he said. "We face a challenging spring schedule, as well as the task of finding future Scots through our recruiting efforts. We will attack these challenges head-on every day with the plan to honor everyone associated with Maryville College football.
"We look forward to connecting with our alumni who have been impacted by this program and are now impacting the world around them," he continued. "We will need their support as we lay the foundation for a program that is pursuing a USA South championship.
"Ultimately, we hope that, through our core values of love, accountability, hard work, faith and competitive excellence, we will fulfill our vision for Maryville College Football and ensure it is one of the greatest experiences of our players' lives."
Virtual welcome
The College is inviting people to meet the new coach, virtually, in a welcome event that will be live-streamed on the Athletic Department's YouTube page (www.youtube.com/ScotsBroadcasting) on Wed., Jan. 27, at 3:30 p.m.
Maryville College president Bryan F. Coker will join Quatrocky and Fox for the virtual welcome broadcast.
"When we announced our search in November, I shared that we were looking for a head coach who understood the philosophy of Division III athletics and the liberal-arts college experience, had a strong coaching record and impeccable personal integrity," Coker said. "In Ben Fox, I am confident that we have a dynamic leader for our football program who will help us meet our goals for enrollment and reputation. I look forward to introducing him to the Maryville College family and our athletics supporters and fans."