Decatur football coach Knox taking a leave of absence
For the first time since 1983, Bob Knox won't be roaming the sidelines during Stephen Decatur High School football games.
Decatur's principal Tom Zimmer announced on Monday, Aug. 22 that Knox will be taking "a leave of absence" this season for "family health reasons" and will not coach the team in 2016.
"All of us at Stephen Decatur are fully supportive of Coach Knox’s decision and we ask that everyone respect the privacy of both Coach Knox and his family during this time," Zimmer said.
Stepping in for Knox will be Stan Griffin, who previously wore the hat of Decatur's defensive coordinator.
"We are fully confident that Coach Griffin will continue the Seahawks' tradition of excellence until Coach Knox resumes his role next season," Zimmer said.
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Griffin's coaching resume includes a stint at Snow Hill where he coached NFL running back Ben Tate. He was also an assistant coach at Delmar in 2014 and has been on Decatur's staff since then. He formerly taught at Worcester Technical High School in Newark, but will teach accounting this year at Decatur.
According to mdprepfootball.com, Knox has been coaching at Decatur since 1984. Over that time he has compiled an overall record of 228-135, which is the second most wins among all of the active high school football coaches in Maryland. First on that list is Good Counsel's Bob Milloy.
Knox is 12th all-time in Maryland high school football wins and no Bayside Conference coach has more wins than he does. The Seahawks have made the playoffs 10 times under Knox, winning the region four times.
Zimmer said that Knox will still teach at Decatur this year.
"With Fred Billings, Joe Andrews and Stan on the staff, I feel that I have a lot of people that myself and the team can count on while Coach Knox is away," Zimmer said.
The Seahawks open their 2016 campaign on Sept. 2 in Chesapeake City at Bohemia Manor.
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