Florida Alum Knox Tabbed as Gators’ Assistant Swimming Coach

GAINESVILLE, Fla., Aug. 8 UNIVERSITY of Florida head swimming coach Gregg Troy announced Tuesday that Pete Knox, a 1978 Florida graduate, has been named the Gators' new assistant coach. Prior to his return to Gainesville, Knox took a year off from coaching after serving on the coaching staff at the University of Kentucky from 1988-2005.

During his tenure in Lexington, Knox's primary duties included overseeing the Wildcats' sprinters and directing the team's dry land program. He was responsible for monitoring the performance, academic status and nonverbal behaviors of the Kentucky swimmers as a basis for sustaining motivation and maintaining emotional balance.

Knox began his stint at Kentucky as a graduate assistant in 1988, and was promoted to assistant coach in 1993. When he left the Wildcats in 2005, Knox had coached finalists and semifinalists at the Olympic Trials and World University Games, one Southeastern Conference champion, one NCAA top-three butterflyer and a handful of athletes who finished in the top-16 in the 50 and 100 free at the NCAA Championships.

"Pete is a very experienced coach with a tremendous background in the SEC," Troy said. "He had outstanding success with sprinters at Kentucky for years, and really built a strong sprint tradition there."

While at UK, Knox also served as a karate instructor in the school's Kinesiology and Health Promotions Department. In that role, he conducted demonstrations and evaluated technique for classes ranging from four to 35 students.

From 1983-88, Knox was the head swimming coach at Brandon High School in Brandon, Fla., where he also taught classes in anatomy and physiology. He was named the 1987 Hillsborough County Swim Coach of the Year. During that time, Knox also spent time as an assistant coach for United States Swimming programs in Brandon and Plant City, Fla.

Knox graduated with honors from Florida in 1978, earning a bachelor of science in health education. He then moved on to United States Marine Corps Office Candidate School, from which he was honorably discharged in 1981. In 1999, he completed a master's degree in exercise physiology from Kentucky.

"Pete has a great understanding of bio-mechanics and stroke technique," Troy said. "He's a highly motivated guy and, above all else, he's a Gator and wants to be here."

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