Chester High's Rob Knox Makes History As CoSIDA's New President

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --The call wasn't good. It usually isn't when anyone receives one of those "I-need-to-see-you-in-my-office" toned messages from a superior, as Rob Knox did one Wednesday morning in January 2015, coming off a Christmas break. At the time, Knox was the Coppin State sports information director and he had a feeling something was up.

So, Knox took that seemingly endless walk to the athletic director's office where he was met by the Coppin AD and associate AD. Knox's superiors proceeded to tell him a mistake was made during a basketball game a week prior. Knox, 44, a 1991 Chester High grad and 1996 Lincoln University grad, had given someone inexperienced a role they didn't handle well—and it couldn't happen again. It was a self-reflective reprimand Knox took to heart.

"I challenged myself to be better and I vowed it wouldn't happen again, because I had to take responsibility; I hired someone not experienced for the job," Knox recalled. "I knew I was better than that and it turned into something larger. I had to reinvest in myself and my responsibilities and I learned that a window never closes—unless you close it.

"I haven't told the story before about the reprimand, but I tell it now because it shows that you can bounce back. It turned into a discussion about my future, what I wanted to do, where I wanted to go. That really made me change. A lot of things changed for me in 2015 after that. It led to me being named to the NCAA Leadership Institute, which changed my life. The reprimand forced me to become more focused, and I knew what happened wasn't a true reflection of myself. We all make mistakes and you can rise above them. It worked out."

It did.

Three years later, on Saturday, June 30, at the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) convention in the National Harbor in Maryland, Knox, Towson University's associate director of media relations, was officially named president of CoSIDA. He becomes only the second African-American president in the 64-year history of the organization and first in 31 years, since Robert Smith, another Lincoln University alumnus, was CoSIDA president in 1986-87. Both Smith and Knox are Lincoln University's Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.

Knox is the 64th president of CoSIDA. His one-year term in 2018-19 will end next June 2019.

"This is a special position, and I'm learning how major it is now," Knox said. "I'm honored and blessed. I have to thank Towson and the support that they've given me. I think it also shows to minority kids that something like this is possible. They can aspire to be a president of major organizations.

"It shows you can make an impact, you can have a voice and one day they could be receiving the gavel and leading a major organization. I always worked hard, but I also try to make Chester proud, which is something I always try to do."

Knox said there are challenges ahead in the media world. Social media graphics have become a large part of the college sports media industry and the public consumes media much differently now, Knox points out, than a decade ago. It's more than just a score. It's pictures, usually accompanied by brief, bite-sized video morsels, and the written word.

"There is far more on a SID's plate than ever before," said Knox, who was SID at Lincoln, Kutztown, and Coppin and now at Towson, where he's the mens basketball SID. "I think there is always a place for the written word. I grew up on the written word, so I'm never going to lose it. We need to read and write, though sadly, I think it's less valued and less emphasized today.

"That's a challenge for CoSIDA, to continue to educate people on how valuable the basic skills are in this profession. You have to be able to read and write. I feel good about the passionate people we have in our profession and organization. It's a great time to be leading our organization through these challenges. I wouldn't want it any other way."