GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania athletics program would like to recognize and congratulate current Lions hall of famer, alumni, and former Sports Information Director Rob Knox on being named the Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award winner by the College Sports Communicators Organization.
 
Knox, now the Senior Director of Strategic Communications at the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, was given the accolade for being "an individual who has worked to increase the diversity within the athletic communications profession."
 
According to the CSC website, collegesportscommunicators.com:
 
"The 2018-19 president of College Sports Communicators and just the second Black president in the organization's history, Rob Knox of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund is the recipient of the 2023 Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award.
 
Through leadership and deed, Knox has been a trailblazer and advocate for both Blacks and women within college athletics. Knox's career in athletic communications spanned 17 years with stops at UNC Greensboro (associate athletic director for strategic communications, 2020-22), Towson (associate director for media relations, 2015-20), Coppin State (sports information director, 2013-15), Kutztown University (sports information director, 2009-11) and his alma mater, Lincoln University (sports information director, 2004-09).
 
Knox currently serves on the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) board of directors, and his term on the NACDA affiliate runs through 2024.
 
In 2022, Knox was named an NCAA Champion of Diversity and Inclusion, the only CSC member to have earned the honor. This award honors individuals who display a commitment to advocating and advancing ethnic minorities and other underrepresented populations  that goes beyond their profession.
 
During his UNCG tenure, Knox was named a 2021 Southern Conference Trailblazer honorable mention selection, one of five from UNCG recognized by the conference.
 
As CSC president, Knox worked to pass a resolution that guaranteed that two members from the organization attend the annual NCAA Inclusion Forum. At the same time, Knox joined the board of directors of the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) to advocate for minorities and women of color in the industry.
 
During his time in the athletic communications industry, Knox has mentored numerous ethnic minorities and underrepresented professionals who have moved on to distinguished careers in college and professional sports.
 
Knox currently serves on the CSC Special Awards Committee and also served as part of the branding working group that helped develop CSC's new name and identity. He previously served as an at-large representative on the CSC Board of Directors (2009-11) and was on the first CSC executive director search committee. From 2009-11, Knox served as president of the Black College Sports Information Directors Association (BCSIDA).
 
Knox received the CSC University Division Rising Star Award in 2011 and is the recipient of four Fred Stabley, Sr., Writing Contest awards for his storytelling.
 
He was named to the Lincoln University Hall of Fame in 2015 for his work as sports information director and received Lincoln's Distinguished Alumni Award in 2017. He was a 2019 inductee into the Chester (Pa.) High School Athletic of Fame as part of the school's 1988-89 state championship boys' basketball team.
 
In addition to his work within the college athletics space, Knox is a frequent contributor to various publications covering college women's basketball and the WNBA. He also is a freelance writer and storyteller under the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Digital Network umbrella.
 
Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award
 
Voted upon by the Special Awards Committee, the Mary Jo Haverbeck Trailblazer Award is presented annually to an individual who is a pioneer in the field of athletic communications who has mentored and helped improve the level of diversity within College Sports Communicators."