Joe "Nip" McKnight (December 4, 1933 – February 20, 2023) was an American politician who represented Tennessee's 27th district in the state senate from 1987–1995.
His father, a former college basketball player at University of Tennessee-Martin, taught McKnight the game at a young age.
He continued playing throughout high school and college, first for Memphis State University before transferring to UT-Martin, where McKnight broke his father's scoring record.
He was then hired by Martin-Marietta Ammunition of Milan and served as the company's production superintendent for sixteen years.
[1] McKnight served as Madison County commissioner for eight years prior to winning the 1986 state senate election.