Fred Cox

For other people of the same name, see Fred Cox (disambiguation).

Fred Cox

No. 14
File:Fred Cox.png
Date of birth	(1938-12-11) December 11, 1938
Place of birth	Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Career information
Position(s)	Placekicker
College	Pittsburgh
NFL draft	1961 / Round: 8 / Pick 110 (By the Cleveland Browns)
Career history
As player
1963-1977	Minnesota Vikings
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowls	1970
Career stats
Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com

Frederick William Cox is a former National Football League kicker who played for the Minnesota Vikings throughout his career (1963–1977).

Early life

Cox was raised in Monongahela, Pennsylvania, outside of Pittsburgh. His parents owned and operated a small grocery store, which is still in operation by his brothers family after four (4) generations.

College

Cox played college football at Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 8th round of the 1961 NFL Draft and the New York Titans in the 28th round of the AFL Draft that same year. He never ended up playing for either team.

Professional career

He is the Vikings all-time leader in scoring (1,365 points) and field goals (282). He is also one of 11 Vikings to play in all four of their Super Bowls in the 1970s. He led the NFL in scoring in 1969 with 121 points and again in 1970 with 125 and was named first team All-Pro both years. He was also named NFC first team All-Pro in 1971 with 91 points scored. In 1970, he was the NFC kicker in the Pro Bowl game. Cox was also the Vikings' punter in his rookie season with a 38.7 yards per kick average on 70 attempts.

Personal

Cox was first married to Elayne Darrall Cox. Elayne died the year after Fred retired from football. Their four children are Darryl Cox, Susan Cox Biasco, Fred A. Cox, and Kim Ok-soon. He is currently married to Bonnie Hope Cox.

Cox is the inventor of the Nerf football. He came up with the idea while still playing for the Vikings.