SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State University Director of Athletics Kyle Moats officially announced Thursday the hiring of Randall Knox, a multi-year national championship winning assistant coach, to lead the Bears tennis program.
Knox comes to MSU with over 16 years of coaching experience under his belt, most recently at Blue Mountain College, where he served as the head coach for both the men’s and women’s programs the past two seasons.
During his tenure at Blue Mountain, he led the men’s team to its first-ever national ranking, taking the team all the way to 13th in the nation before finishing 20th in the final poll. He also led the women to the conference semifinals for the first time in school history. As a result of his efforts, Knox was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2021.
“I want to thank Kyle Moats and Casey Hunt for giving me the opportunity to lead the MSU women’s tennis team,” said Knox. “I’m excited to create a culture of winning, a culture of tradition, and help these ladies fulfill their goals of winning the Missouri Valley Conference and having an opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament.”
Prior to Blue Mountain College, he served as the head men’s and women’s tennis coach at Lindsey Wilson College, where he took both teams to the NAIA Nationals in 2019. That year, the women’s program finished No. 11 in the nation while the men garnered a final ranking of 13th.
Before his first head coaching nod, Knox spent three years at Georgia Gwinnett College as the assistant men’s and women’s tennis coach from 2016 to 2019 where he helped the team to four NAIA national championships. During his time there he recruited and coached standout Madeline Bosnjak to a No. 1 individual NAIA ranking and MVP award at the 2018 national tournament. Knox also coached Kevin Konfederak to a No. 1 singles and doubles ranking in the nation.
He brings non-collegiate coaching experience to his role at MSU as well. In 2014, he worked as a head tennis professional at the YMCA of Buckhead in Atlanta. He also coached several local teams to city championships through a junior tennis academy.
Knox has held many other coaching roles as well, including assistant positions at Gonzaga (2013-14), Georgia State (2010-11), and UAB (2010). He got his start as the assistant men’s coach/volunteer coach at Samford in 2004.
In his own career, Knox was a three-time Alabama state high school champion representing Athens High School where he was a top-10 junior in the state.
Knox played collegiately at Northwest-Shoals Community College, helping lead his team to a No. 4 finish in the country before being named second-team All-American. He then played at the University of Memphis for one year before joining the University of Alabama as a team manager in 1999. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Business Administration in May 2000.
He replaces Hannah Keeling who spent one season at Missouri State before accepting a position at Georgia State. During her time in Springfield, Keeling led the Bears to a 12-10 record and a runner-up finish at the 2021 MVC Championships.
Knox’s hiring is contingent upon approval by the Missouri State Board of Governors at its next scheduled meeting.
#BearsUnite
