WAXHAW, N.C. — I’m incredibly excited to share about two individuals who have had a huge impact on the athletics at Marvin Ridge High School. This past summer, Tom Jamerson stepped down from the position of Athletic Director, and Brian Knab took over. I had a great time getting to learn about this transition between Tom and Brian.

Starting with Tom, I was intrigued to hear about some highlights from the past 8 years that he served as AD. When asked about his favorite memories, he shared quite a few:

• Volleyball setting state record for wins (44-2) and winning state championship
• Beating Catholic in Football state playoffs; beating Weddington at home on “the catch”
• Baseball night games in the spring
• The dominance of tennis and swim programs
• Beating Monroe on last second buzzer beater to win the SCC Championship
• Starting field hockey and men’s volleyball programs

Tom went on to explain, “There are so many great memories of teams competing, we were fortunate to win 26 state championships while I was here.”
And more than winning, the MRHS community was a huge part of his love for the position. The best part of the community? “Without a doubt, the people,” he stated.

When asked about his life at home, Tom said, “I remarried in 2019 to an amazing woman, Christine Costello. I have four children of my own: One is in a grad program in London, two are at UNCC, and one is playing volleyball at Wingate University. I also have two step children (12 and 10)… so we are really busy!”

What’s next for Tom? He states, “The whole reason I stepped back from being an athletic director was to be more present and available at home and in the lives of my loved ones. I am going to a school closer to my house and look forward to having the flexibility to be involved in some of my passions.”

In closing, Tom states, “I will forever be grateful to Marvin Ridge and Ms. Cook for hiring me nine years ago. Marvin Ridge is a special place and there are so many great coaches, teachers and families here that it made it super easy coming to work every day. The Marvin Ridge community has treated me more generously than I would have ever dreamt.”

I also had the opportunity to chat with a few coaches and got to learn more about Tom and his time as AD. They had nothing but positivity to share, and it was clear that they were incredibly grateful for Tom and his leadership:
From the MRHS coaches…

“If I had to think of a word that comes to mind for Tom it’s consistency. He treats all sports the same and consistency is really important….he wasn’t a micromanager which again is huge, he trusted his coaching staff to do their job. I always enjoyed our conversations as he always had something to support me with regards to team culture.”

“I just appreciated the fact that Tom had his priorities straight, which is extremely important. He always wanted to win, but he was more interested in the bigger picture, which is developing good people first! He also practiced this philosophy with his coaches. He was more concerned with the type of person you were more than how much you knew about coaching.”

“He constantly poured in to the Marvin Ridge community during his tenure as Athletic Director in so many ways. Tom will be the first to tell you that he’s a competitive person and that paid off at Marvin Ridge. He led MRHS coaches to have a winning mind set – be unapologetically strong in the classroom AND on the field. He constantly strived to make Marvin Ridge live up to its full potential and it’s something I’m grateful for.”

A huge thank you to Tom for his leadership as Athletic director, the MRHS community is better because of you!

And like most things in life, the end of Tom’s chapter also means the beginning of a new chapter. Brian Knab was announced as the new Athletic Director this past summer, and I also had a fantastic time getting to learn about him and his excitement for this new role.

When it comes to Brian’s life at home, he explains, “I’ve been married for 16 years to my all-star wife Amy……or I should say Dr. Knab. She is a professor at Queens University…and to brag on her more, she was Valedictorian of her high school and college, was a college swimmer, and is in her high school Hall of Fame as a three sport athlete. I also have 3 daughters: Trinity (6th grade), Morgan (4th grade), and Addison (1st grade).”

Throughout Brian’s career, he has served in a variety of service leadership roles and has achieved great success in doing so. In his involvement with the NIAAA (National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association), he has received his Certified Master Athletic Administrator Certification, served on committees, and more.

He has also been involved with the NCADA (North Carolina Athletic Directors Association), currently serving as secretary on the Executive Board of Directors. He was also the 2022-2023 recipient of the State Award of Merit.

When asked why he said “yes” to this role, Brian explained, “From a professional perspective, I’ve always had great respect for Marvin Ridge and the success that has been here both athletically and academically. Personally, we live in the Marvin zone and have three daughters in the school system. When considering this opportunity, the driving factor for me was family. Knowing how much is required in this role and what it takes to perform at a high level as an Athletic Director, I also want to be present for my family and not miss my daughters’ activities as they get older.  Creating more life balance and being successful both personally and professionally was the key factor in my decision-making process.”

Brian went on to explain what he’s looking forward to in his new position: “The most important thing to me in my new role is to make sure I’m building really strong relationships in the community…Over these first few months at Marvin Ridge, I’ve been able to meet some really great people that are 100% invested in this community and in support of our athletic programs for the student-athletes.”

“I’m especially looking forward to meeting and getting to know more and more of our student-athletes. I want them to know that I’m here for them and genuinely care about their experience and success as a Maverick. It definitely takes time and effort to build strong and meaningful relationships, so I want to be intentional with that effort during my first year at Marvin Ridge.”

Furthermore, he explained, “I firmly believe that ‘if you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse!’ The growth and improvement process should never stop if we want our athletic programs to reach their fullest potential. In my short time here at Marvin Ridge, I’ve worked to learn our facilities and history of processes and procedures that have been in place. Knowing the history and important traditions is extremely valuable in moving forward with plans for improvements and new ideas for different areas of our athletic programs. We do have some very exciting facility improvement projects that will be happening this year, so we are looking forward to seeing the response from the community as they are completed.”

Our magazine is all about bringing people together in the community. So in closing, I asked Brian about his favorite part of the MRHS community: “My favorite part is that it is just that, A COMMUNITY! I love the partnership and collaboration with Marvin Ridge Middle School and their athletic programs. We have a phenomenal Athletic Booster Club that does a great job supporting both the High School and Middle School in providing great experiences for our student-athletes. I love the connection with the Elementary schools in our cluster.  It all comes together for a true community feel and you can sense the Maverick Pride!”

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