Maryville Football under head coach Ben Fox and the staff and culture he is building with Maryville Football show that the future of the Scots is in good hands.
Fox took the reins as head coach at Maryville College in one of the most challenging eras of collegiate athletics, national and world history. Named in January 2021, right in the middle of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Fox and the program have persevered. The importance of a true offseason is paying dividends as Fox moves into Year 3 of his debut head coaching assignment.
Director of Athletics Sara Quatrocky when she made the hire 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. Fox is the 30th head football coach in the 123-year history of MC football.
National Rankings
Fox brought nearly 12 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level – eight years with Division III schools. He arrived after a three-year stint as offensive coordinator at Centre. He previously coached five seasons at Huntingdon – the last as offensive coordinator – and before that, three seasons at Bryant in the FCS ranks.
Fox coordinated nationally ranked offenses at both Huntingdon and Centre, and he produced 26 All-Southern Athletic Association (SAA) performers at Centre. While on the Centre coaching staff, 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 in 2016, Fox saw his troops rank third in total offense in all of Division III at 543.9, and eighth in the country in scoring offense at 45.3.
Fox's first season at Centre saw the Colonels rank 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 2018, Fox coached quarterback and SAA Offensive Player of the Year Tanner Young to a school-record 31 passing touchdowns. Young led the SAA in touchdowns, passing yards, passing efficiency and yards-per-completion. The Centre offense also paced the league in points (seventh in the nation), scoring average, total offense, passing offense and first downs. The team's passing efficiency rating was fourth in Division III, while the yards-per-completion ranking was second.
The 2019 season saw Centre's offense average 376 total yards, leading to 32 touchdowns and a 26-point scoring average.
Familiar with East Tennessee
Fox was a four-year letterman in football and basketball at Daniel Boone High School in Gray in upper East Tennessee. He graduated as the valedictorian of his senior class. He then was a four-year letterman at Washington University in St. Louis, where he played quarterback and defensive back. He earned academic all-conference honors in the University Athletic Association in his senior season.
Fox says he and his family remain "humbled and excited" to be part of this chapter of the College and its football program.
Because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, Fox and the Scots were thrown immediately into play as the 2020 postponed football season kicked off in spring 2021, just weeks after his start date. The Scots managed a 2-2 record that spring and then immediately went to work on their first full season.
Maryville opened the 2021 slate 0-4 but then went 3-1 in October. Playing its best football at the end of the season, the Scots rallied for a 4-6 overall record and 4-4 mark against USA South competition to tie for fourth place.
Fox earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from WashU and his MBA from Bryant University. He and his wife, the former Katherine Poeltl, have a daughter, Kinsley Paige, and a son, Bowen.
The Ben Fox Era
2020-21 2-2 (2-2 USA South)
2021 4-6 (4-4 USA South)
2022 5-5 (5-2 USA South)
2023 8-2 (5-2 USA South)
Career (4 Years) 19-15 (.559)
USA South 16-10 (.615)
