Matt Knowles is in the midst of his second year as an assistant athletic trainer at Samford. He serves as the athletic trainer for Samford's volleyball and baseball teams.

His responsibilities include injury prevention and treatment, rehab facilitation, and practice and game-day supervision of the volleyball and baseball teams at Samford.

Knowles worked for HealthSouth in 2004 prior to coming to Samford. While at HealthSouth, he was assigned to the NFL Europe professional football league and worked training camp with the Cologne Centurions. During the season, he was reassigned back to Birmingham to work with league players undergoing rehabilitation treatment at HealthSouth's facilities. He was also assigned to do work with Mountain Brook High School in Mountain Brook, Ala.

A native of Milton, Fla., Knowles earned a bachelor's of science degree in Sports Medicine from West Florida in 2002. During his undergraduate work, he was a student trainer with the Arena Football League's Pensacola Barracudas in 2001. He then earned a master's of arts and education degree from UAB in 2004. While studying at UAB, he served as a graduate assistant trainer with the football and baseball teams.

Knowles is a member of the Alabama Athletic Trainer's Association (ALATA) and the National Athletic Trainer's Association (NATA). He has also been officially certified by NATA and is trained in CPR.