Can a football player who only kicked for his high school team be considered as the best from his school?
Yes, if his name is Steve Cox.
BEST EVER!
Who was the best athlete ever at your school? The sports staff of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is highlighting 14 former prep standouts.
Steve Cox
SCHOOL Charleston
YEAR GRADUATED 1976
SPORTS PLAYED Football, basketball, track and field
WHY HIM? Earned 10 combined letters at Charleston High School in football, basketball, and outdoor track and field. … All-state punter and placekicker who booted field goals of 53 and 51 yards. … All-state basketball player who averaged 20 points per game as a senior. … Only second player in Charleston history to have his (10) number retired. …Two-time national finalist in Punt, Pass & Kick competition (ages 8-13). …. Began college career at Tulsa, where he kicked three field goals in a 9-3 victory over Arkansas. … Transferred to Arkansas, where he was All-Southwest Conference in 1979 and 1980. Led the nation with an average of 46.5 yards per punt as a senior. … Played eight years in the NFL and helped the Washington Redskins to Super Bowl victory in 1988. … Jonesboro banker and real estate developer who was named to the University of Arkansas Board of Directors in 2018.
Start by checking the NFL records book. Cox kicked a 60-yard field goal for Cleveland against Cincinnati in 1984 which, at the time, was the second-longest behind behind Tom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal against Detroit. Cox was also a punter who played eight years in the NFL and he earned a Super Bowl ring with the Washington Redskins in 1988. He kicked off seven times and punted four times when the Redskins stomped Denver 42-10 in Super Bowl XXII.
Next, check Cox's college career that began at Tulsa and ended with Arkansas. Cox wanted to attend the University of Arkansas after high school at Charleston but the Razorbacks already had Steve Little, who was an All-American placekicker and punter. So, Cox went to Tulsa, where he gained the attention of Arkansas fans when he kicked three field goals in a 9-3 victory over the 12th-ranked Razorbacks.
Cox later transferred to Arkansas, where he was selected as All-American after he led the nation by averaging 46.5 yards per punt as a senior. Cox, who was one of the last of the straight-on kickers, was then selected by the Browns in the 5th round of the NFL draft in 1981.
Being remembered purely as a kicker does not do justice to the 6-foot-4 Cox, who earned 10 combined letters in football, basketball, and track and field at Charleston. Cox kicked a 53-yard field goal against Ozark as a junior and a 51-yard field goal against the Hillbillies as a senior.
He played varsity basketball for three years and averaged 20 points his senior year in 1976. He also contributed on the track and field team as a high jumper.
Cox displayed his talent early in the national Punt, Pass & Kick competition (ages 8-13). He was a six-time winner and a two-time national finalist.
"Steve was a really good athlete and an all-state basketball player," said Jeff Stubblefield, a retired superintendent at Charleston High School and a former teammate of Cox's. "He was a lot more than just a kicker."
Cox kicked a 57-yard field goal against the Razorbacks for Tulsa when he was selected All-Missouri Valley Conference for the second time. After sitting out the 1978 season because of NCAA transfer rules, Cox continued his success at Arkansas, where he was selected All-Southwest Conference in 1979 and 1980. He holds the Arkansas school record for an 86-yard punt against the Texas Longhorns on Sept. 1, 1980.
Cox earned his degree in banking and finance at Arkansas before continuing his career in professional football. His life after football has been as highly-successful as his football career, but he's always managed to find time to return to Charleston on occasion and help the student-athletes who followed him.
"He would come onto the field and punt to us, and it was like trying to catch rockets," said Shane Storey, a former football coach and current administrator at Charleston who graduated several years after Cox.
Cox's financial support has greatly benefited the football program at Charleston and he's been in the crowd with other Charleston fans during big games involving the Tigers.
"Steve never forgot Charleston," Stubblefield said. "He's donated money for our program and he's happy to meet with our kids and encourage them. He sets a good example for them."
Sports on 07/14/2019