Joe Cox (American football)
Encyclopedia
Joe Cox is an American football
quarterback
. He played college football
for four seasons at the University of Georgia
, and was the team's starting quarterback for the 2009 season.
, North Carolina. Cox was named to the 2004 Parade Magazine All-America Team and Super Prep All-Mid Atlantic Team. He was the North Carolina Gatorade
Player of the Year. Cox was on the AP
first-team All-State team and was a two-time Charlotte Observer Offensive Player of the Year. He also played in the Shrine Bowl
of the Carolinas and impressed scouts by going 31-0 as a starting quarterback. Cox was a two-time team captain and was the number 7 rated quarterback in the country by Rivals.com
and Tom Lemming of ESPN
. He set a North Carolina record with 66 touchdown passes while taking his team to its fifth consecutive state championship his senior year. Cox was named the MVP of the state title game twice. As a junior, Cox threw for nearly 4,000 yards and over 40 touchdowns. As a senior, he completed 240 out of 363 passes for over 4,500 yards and only five interceptions.
. Through the first four years of his career at the University of Georgia
, Cox had scattered playing time and completed 33 out of 58 pass attempts for 432 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. As a redshirt freshman in 2006
, with Georgia trailing Colorado
0-13 at home late in the third quarter, Cox was put in the game to relieve ineffective starter Matthew Stafford
. Cox threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns late in the game to lead Georgia to a comeback win, 14–13. Cox would start one more game in the season, in a 14-9 victory over Ole Miss
, but eventually lost his starting job to the highly-touted Stafford, who ended up being the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft
.
in Fayetteville, Cox threw for a career high 375 yards and matched a school record with five touchdown passes. Against #1-ranked Florida
, Cox completed 11-of-20 pass attempts for two touchdowns, which was as many as the Gators had allowed all season, but also threw three interceptions in the 17-41 loss. In his final game at Sanford Stadium, the Bulldogs had a 14-point half-time lead. However, Cox threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter. Along with a red-zone fumble (as Georgia was attempting to tie the game), these interceptions sealed a loss against Kentucky, Georgia's first home loss to the Wildcats since 1977. However, Cox was not asked to do much in the final regular season game against #7-ranked Georgia Tech
. With Bulldog tailbacks Caleb King and Washaun Ealey combining for 349 rushing yards, Cox managed the game well, completing 8-of-14 passes for just 76 yards and a touchdown in Georgia's 30-24 victory.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for four seasons at the University of Georgia
Georgia Bulldogs football
The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
, and was the team's starting quarterback for the 2009 season.
Early years
Cox started at Independence High School in CharlotteCharlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, North Carolina. Cox was named to the 2004 Parade Magazine All-America Team and Super Prep All-Mid Atlantic Team. He was the North Carolina Gatorade
Gatorade
Gatorade is a brand of sports-themed food and beverage products, built around its signature product: a line of sports drinks. Gatorade is currently manufactured by PepsiCo, distributed in over 80 countries...
Player of the Year. Cox was on the AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
first-team All-State team and was a two-time Charlotte Observer Offensive Player of the Year. He also played in the Shrine Bowl
Shrine Bowl
The Shrine Bowl was a former postseason college football bowl game. The first game was played on December 18, 1948, at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas between Hardin-Simmons University and Ouachita Baptist College....
of the Carolinas and impressed scouts by going 31-0 as a starting quarterback. Cox was a two-time team captain and was the number 7 rated quarterback in the country by Rivals.com
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting. The network was started in 1996 and currently employs more than 300 personnel.-Schools:The individual collegiate sites can be found...
and Tom Lemming of ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
. He set a North Carolina record with 66 touchdown passes while taking his team to its fifth consecutive state championship his senior year. Cox was named the MVP of the state title game twice. As a junior, Cox threw for nearly 4,000 yards and over 40 touchdowns. As a senior, he completed 240 out of 363 passes for over 4,500 yards and only five interceptions.
2005–2008
Cox was redshirted his freshman year in 20052005 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2005 Georgia Bulldogs football team completed the season with a 10-3 record. Winning 10 games for the fourth year in a row, Georgia tied its own record for consecutive 10 win seasons. The Bulldogs, with a regular season SEC record of 6-2, won the SEC East and advanced to the 2005 SEC...
. Through the first four years of his career at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
, Cox had scattered playing time and completed 33 out of 58 pass attempts for 432 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. As a redshirt freshman in 2006
2006 Georgia Bulldogs football team
The 2006 Georgia Bulldogs football team completed the season with a 9-4 record. The Bulldogs had an SEC record of 4-4. Despite losses to unranked Kentucky and Vanderbilt, Georgia salvaged its season by beating two ranked teams in the last two games of the season: #5 Auburn and #15 Georgia Tech...
, with Georgia trailing Colorado
Colorado Buffaloes football
The Colorado Buffaloes football program represents the University of Colorado at Boulder in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level. The team is currently a member of the Pacific-12 Conference, having previously been a charter member of the Big 12 Conference. Before joining the Big 12,...
0-13 at home late in the third quarter, Cox was put in the game to relieve ineffective starter Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford
John Matthew Stafford is an American football quarterback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Lions first overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Georgia....
. Cox threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns late in the game to lead Georgia to a comeback win, 14–13. Cox would start one more game in the season, in a 14-9 victory over Ole Miss
Ole Miss Rebels football
The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...
, but eventually lost his starting job to the highly-touted Stafford, who ended up being the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
.
2009
While Cox threw for over 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns and boasted a 146.4 quarterback rating in his first four games of the 2009 season, he did not perform as well in the next few games. Georgia finished 8-5 on the season with Cox as the starter. In Georgia's 52-41 win over Arkansas2009 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
The 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2009 football season. The Razorbacks played five home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and two home games at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. Head coach...
in Fayetteville, Cox threw for a career high 375 yards and matched a school record with five touchdown passes. Against #1-ranked Florida
2009 Florida Gators football team
The 2009 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2009 college football season...
, Cox completed 11-of-20 pass attempts for two touchdowns, which was as many as the Gators had allowed all season, but also threw three interceptions in the 17-41 loss. In his final game at Sanford Stadium, the Bulldogs had a 14-point half-time lead. However, Cox threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter. Along with a red-zone fumble (as Georgia was attempting to tie the game), these interceptions sealed a loss against Kentucky, Georgia's first home loss to the Wildcats since 1977. However, Cox was not asked to do much in the final regular season game against #7-ranked Georgia Tech
2009 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team
The 2009 Yellow Jackets football team represented the Georgia Institute of Technology in the 2009–2010 Football Season. The team was coached by second year head coach Paul Johnson...
. With Bulldog tailbacks Caleb King and Washaun Ealey combining for 349 rushing yards, Cox managed the game well, completing 8-of-14 passes for just 76 yards and a touchdown in Georgia's 30-24 victory.