Tom Knotts
Dutch Fork High School
Impact Statement
“I like having my own ball of wax to mold how I want to. To do the things I want to and you have to have good people around you to buy into what your vision is.” -Tom Knotts
Biography
This past season, Knotts led Dutch Fork to its fourth straight South Carolina state high school football championship in the state’s largest classification. That championship landed the Silver Foxes at No. 11 in the High School Football America 100 national rankings, No. 15 in the USA TODAY Super 25 and No. 9 in MaxPreps’ Xcellent 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.
“Coach Knotts’ record of 415-64-1 speaks for itself, but just as impressive is how he’s helped his student-athletes in life during his career that’s heading into a fifth decade,” said Jeff Fisher, head of the NHSCA Coach of the Year Nominating Committee and founder of High School Football America.
“I’m very honored,” said Knotts. “There are a lot of other people that go into me winning this award. There’s nothing better than high school football and I’d like to thank everyone that’s had a hand in helping me along the way.”
Knotts is the second South Carolina high school football coach to receive the 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.
Since being honored, Knotts led Dutch Fork back the state finals before the game was canceled due to Covid.
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