Since Grade School: Offense and Defense, Uremovich and Knowles

MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State football head coach Mike Uremovich and defensive coordinator Jeff Knowles have spent nearly their entire lives side by side, first as childhood classmates, later as teammates and then as a coaching duo at the highest level of college football.

Pictured above - Jeff Knowles, left, celebrates with friend and Providence teammate Uremovich, right.

First paired as elementary school students in Manhattan, Illinois, Uremovich and Knowles went on to play together at powerhouse Providence Catholic High School, where Knowles starred at linebacker and Uremovich lined up at wide receiver. After separating during their college years, with Uremovich at Purdue and Knowles at St. Francis (Ill.), the two remained in close contact.

In fact, even while Knowles worked with the federal border patrol in San Diego and Uremovich began his first full-time gig as offensive coordinator at Waynesburg College in 2003, Knowles and his wife, Sarah, flew across the country to attend Uremovich's first game with Waynesburg.

Not long after, their friendship became a professional partnership. When Uremovich accepted the head coaching job at Knowles' alma mater, Knowles joined him for what would become his first full-time position on St. Francis' staff.

Ball State marks the sixth program where the longtime friends have shared a sideline, and the third where Uremovich is the head coach and Knowles leads the defense. First at Temple (2018–21) and now Ball State, they are believed to be the only pair of FBS offensive and defensive play-callers who once played high school football together.

The bond between the two coaches extends beyond football. Their families vacation together, and their sons have grown up as classmates and teammates. Most recently at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Uremovich's oldest son, Michael, and Knowles' son, Gannon, played together just as their fathers did (Pictured in top photo from Haddonfield, N.J., while dads coached at Temple). Their younger sons started at Cathedral, though Drew Uremovich has since transferred to Guerin Catholic High School, while Emmett Knowles remains at Cathedral.

For Uremovich and Knowles, the connection that began nearly 50 miles southwest of Chicago has evolved into one of the most enduring partnerships in college football.

Since Grade School: Offense and Defense, Uremovich and Knowles

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