Michael Cox (running back)

Michael A. Cox Jr. (born November 14, 1988) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Giants in the 7th round (253 overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football as an undergraduate for the Michigan Wolverines, and as a graduate student for the Massachusetts Minutemen.

Michael Cox
Cox playing for Massachusetts in 2012
No. 29
Position:Running back / Return specialist
Personal information
Born: (1989-11-14) November 14, 1989
Boston, Massachusetts
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:Avon (CT) Old Farms
College:Massachusetts
NFL Draft:2013 / Round: 7 / Pick: 253
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Rushing Yards:76
Yards per carry:2.9
Rushing TDs:0
Receptions:5
Receiving yards:21
Receiving TDs:0
Player stats at NFL.com

High school

A native of Dorchester, Massachusetts, Cox attended high school at Avon Old Farms prep school in Avon, Connecticut, graduating in 2008. In three seasons at Avon Old Farms Cox rushed for 2,400 yards, including a junior season in which he rushed for 1,000 yards and 16 touchdowns. Ranked by most publications as a 4 star prospect Cox signed a national letter of intent with the University of Michigan. He was also part of Avon Old Farms first ever New England track championship with former Chicago Bear Khaseem Greene.

College career

After redshirting for the 2008 season, Cox saw limited action on the Wolverines roster from 2009 to 2011. Cox would play in 15 games over three years, rushing for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Cox' best single game for the Wolverines was during his redshirt freshman season, against Delaware State when he rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns.

Cox graduated from Michigan in the spring of 2012. With one year of eligibility remaining Cox transferred to UMass. Due to NCAA regulations, since Cox already obtained his undergraduate degree, he was not required to sit out one season under normal transfer guidelines. Cox would serve as the feature back for the Minutemen. He started all 12 games, and despite running behind an inexperienced offensive line, Cox rushed for 715 yards and five touchdowns, leading the team in both categories. Against Miami (OH) Cox recorded the best game of his career with 188 yards rushing on 30 carries and two touchdowns. Cox would also register 81 yards against his former team Michigan.

Professional career

New York Giants

Cox was drafted by the New York Giants with the 253rd pick, in the seventh round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Cox made his first professional start on Monday Night Football on October 21, 2013. He was waived on April 27, 2015.[1]

Personal

In November 2013, a New York Times [2] report revealed events that not only the Giants organization was unaware of about Cox, but that Cox himself had not fully become aware of until he was 13 years old. The report detailed how Cox's father, Michael A. Cox Sr., a Boston police officer, had been the victim of a mistaken but vicious beating by fellow police officers in 1995. The beating of Michael Cox investigation was all but tossed under the rug, and became infamous as "Boston's Rodney King case." Eventually, Cox's father sued and was awarded $900,000 by the Boston police department, which he continued to serve as a superintendent until 2019. In 2020, the older Cox became the Chief of police in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Cox's mother, Kimberly, is an anesthesiologist, and he is the eldest of her and Michael Cox Sr.'s three children. Michael's younger brother Nicholas Cox is a former football player at the Division I-AA University of Maine and briefly tried out for the Baltimore Ravens after going undrafted in 2014.[3]

References
  1. Wilkening, Mike. "Giants waive RB Michael Cox". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  2. Pennington, Bill (November 17, 2013). "A Lesson: Persevere". The New York Times. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  3. http://www.draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=130678&DraftYear=2014
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