DANVILLE, Ky. (CentreColonels.com) – After a nationwide search, the Centre football program is pleased to announce the hiring of Ben Fox as its new offensive coordinator.
"My family and I are extremely excited to be at Centre," said Fox. "The expectations for our players coupled with the experiences they will have make Centre a truly unique college football experience. We are looking forward to building upon the standards currently in place and continuing the offensive success that Centre College Football is accustomed to. We have a lot of talented players returning and we are excited to get on the field for Spring Practice."
Fox arrives at Centre after a highly successful stint at Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala. 2016 was the first season in which Fox served as offensive coordinator for the Hawks and the team ranked third in all of Division III with 543.9 yards per game, as well as eighth in the country in scoring offense at 45.3 points per game.
Fox's Hawks offense was incredibly well-balanced, averaging 269 yards on the ground and 274 through the air. The offense was also the best in the nation on third downs, converting 55.8% of their third down opportunities.
Thanks in large part to the explosive offense, Huntingdon won the USA South Conference in 2016 and advanced to the NCAA Division III Playoffs against Wheaton. Six Huntingdon offensive players earned All-USA South honors, including quarterback Luke Bailey, who was named the Offensive Player of the Year in the conference as well as a member of the All-South Region squad.
"We are thrilled to have Ben on our staff," Centre head coach Andy Frye said. "We believe he is a great fit for Centre and Centre football. "Ben has proven himself to be an outstanding coach and coordinator judging on how well his offenses have performed on the national level. We also welcome his wife Katie and eight month old Kinsley to our Centre family."
From 2012-15, Fox served as Huntingdon's wide receivers coach. During his first four seasons working with the Hawks' passing game, Huntingdon generated more than 10,900 yards of passing offense and 104 passing touchdowns.
During the 2015 conference championship season, the Hawks set a program record with 482 points scored. The 2014 team ranked third in Huntingdon history with an average of 476.6 yards of offense per game. In 2013, Huntingdon set a then-Division III record with 585.8 yards of offense per game and school records for passing yards in a season (3,447) and passing touchdowns (32).
In 2015, receiver Nick Haas became the first Huntingdon receiver to earn All-Conference honors in the USA South Athletic Conference. In Huntingdon's first three seasons in the USA South, Fox's receivers also excelled in the classroom as 10 receivers were named Academic All-Conference and two were named to the Hampshire Honor Society.
Prior to Huntingdon, Fox worked at Bryant University, where he spent three seasons as an assistant coach. Fox coached the defensive line for two seasons as a graduate assistant before coaching the receivers in 2011.
As Bryant's receivers coach, Fox worked with all-conference receiver Jordan Harris. During the 2011 season, Harris ranked second in the nation in yards per catch (22.8). Harris signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Rams in May 2014.
Fox takes over a Centre offense which ranked eighth in Division III at 508.6 yards per game and 13th in passing offense, averaging 332.4 passing yards per contest. Junior quarterback Devin Hayes (Bowling Green, Ky.) finished 12th in the country with 3,148 passing yards per game.
Fox earned his MBA at Bryant University and his B.S. in Business Administration at Washington University in St. Louis.
A four-year player at Washington University in St. Louis, he began his college career as a quarterback before playing three seasons at defensive back. He was an academic All-Conference selection in the University Athletic Association.
A native of Gray, Tenn., Fox was a four-year letterman in football and basketball at Daniel Boone High School and was valedictorian of his senior class.
Fox and his wife, the former Katherine Poeltl, have one daughter, Kinsley Paige Fox.
