Dutch Fork (South Carolina) Head Coach Tom Knotts Is High School Football America/National High School Coaches Association’s Coach Of The Year
While Dutch Fork’s Tom Knotts is already thinking about a fifth straight South Carolina high school football state championship, today he can celebrate No. 4, which makes him the 2019 National High School Football Coaches Association National Football Coach of the Year. The award is presented jointly with High School Football America.
Knotts and the Silver Foxes won the Class 5A championship, which landed them at No. 11 in the final High School Football America 100 national rankings. Dutch Fork also finished No. 9 in the MaxPreps’ Xcellent 25 and No. 15 in the USA TODAY Super 25.
Knotts, who’s coaching career began in 1981, has now won twelve overall high school football state championships. He led Independence High School (Charlotte, North Carolina) to six state championships and West Charlotte to a North Carolina state championship in 1995. During his time at Independence, Knotts and his program set a record for the longest public high school football win streak in America with 109 straight victories.
“We are extremely pleased to honor Tom Knotts,” said Eric Hess, Executive Director of the NHSCA. “Coach Knotts has established Dutch Fork as one of the top programs in the nation during his tenure as the head coach. He exhibits a strong dedication to supporting and developing his high school student-athletes both on-and-off the football field.”
Knotts overall record is 415-64-1. He’s 12-5 in state championship games.
Knotts is the second South Carolina high school football coach to receive the Coach of the Year honor. The late John McKissick of Summerville High School was the first honoree for the 2008-2009 school year. McKissick is America’s all-time winningest high school football coach with 621 victories.
To see past national winners, click here.