Hall of Fame
Jim Cox played forward for the UT basketball team, lettering in 1963, '64 and '66. A graduate of Macomber High School in Toledo, he earned all-city and all-Ohio honors, leading his team to a city championship and earning a place on the UT freshman basketball squad. In his first season, he led the freshman team in scoring (21.4) rebounding (10.5) and free throw percentage (.807). By the end of his sophomore season, he was hailed as one of the best UT basketball players since All-American Chuckovitz (1937-1939). His top single-game effort also came that season when he scored 29 points in a victory over Western Michigan. He sat out his junior season after getting married, but came back his senior year and played his strongest season of basketball. Cox was a co-captain and first-team All-MAC selection in 1966, scoring 17.9 points per game as Toledo finished second in the conference with an 8-4 record. He was also named to second-team All MAC in 1963 and 1964. He currently ranks ninth in points per game in MAC games (36 games, 614 points, 17.1 average). He completed his career as a member of the Rocket 1,000-Point Club, scoring 1,142 career points and averaging 15.8 points per game, ranking 36th in Rocket History, respectively.
After graduation, Cox spent two years touring professionally throughout Europe and the Middle East with the Harlem Globetrotters. A highly successful high school coach, Cox began his career in Toledo as the freshman coach at Whitmer. In 1978 he moved to Macomber High and in eight years as head coach, posted a 130-33 (.798) record. Two of his Macmen were Ohio Players of the Year who went on to college and NBA careers. Since 1978 he has been the coach at McAllen High School, in McAllen, Texas where he has posted a 213-139 (.605) record. In his 25 years of coaching, Cox has had just one losing season, and has been selected Coach of the Year five times. Cox holds a bachelor's degree in education from UT and a master's in education from Bowling Green State University.Â
