Kansas State University Athletics
Football
Cox, Mike
Mike Cox
- Title:
- Linebackers
A 30-year coaching veteran who has been influential in preparing many players for the NFL, Mike Cox is entering his sixth season as K-State’s linebackers coach under Hall of Fame head coach Bill Snyder.
In just five seasons in Manhattan, Cox has tutored seven linebackers that have earned All-Big 12 accolades, including at lead one honoree each season.
The latest two linebackers to earn All-Big 12 honors were first-teamer Elijah Lee and honorable mention pick Charmeachealle Moore in 2016. Lee, who led the team and ranked third in the Big 12 with 110 tackles, and Moore, who tied for second with 75, became K-State’s first set of linebackers to earn all-conference accolades since 2012. Lee, who tied for 21st nationally in solo tackles per game, also received votes for the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Under Cox’s leaderships, Lee and Moore helped K-State rank 11th nationally in rushing defense and 25th in scoring defense. The Wildcats led the Big 12 in both categories in addition to total defense, the first Big 12 team to lead the conference in all three areas since 2008. Cox also helped tutor the defense to a No. 22 national ranking in rushing defense and a tie for 24th in turnovers gained.
Lee’s accolades in 2016 came on the heels of earning second team all-conference honors in 2015. K-State’s leading tackler as a sophomore, Lee totaled 80 stops to become the first Wildcat underclassman to pace the squad in tackles since 2008. He was also K-State’s first underclassman linebacker to earn first or second team all-conference honors since College Football Hall of Fame inductee Mark Simoneau in 1998. Lee, who also had a team-leading three interceptions, led Cox’s group with 5.5 sacks, helping the Wildcats finish ninth nationally and eighth in school history with 38 sacks on the year.
Thanks to Cox’s guidance, Moore played to an All-Big 12 level toward the end of 2015 as he averaged 10.8 tackles per game over the final four contests, including three-straight wins to close out the regular season and help K-State become bowl eligible for a sixth-straight year. Moore, who averaged only 1.5 tackles in the first eight games of the season, came away with 17 tackles – including 16 solo stops – in the regular-season finale against West Virginia on his way to Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Moore’s 16 solo stops were tied for the most nationally during the 2015 season and were the most by a Wildcat since at least 1990.
Prior to Lee and Moore, Cox tutored Jonathan Truman to All-Big 12 honors in 2014 when he carded 128 tackles to finish season third in the Big 12 and 18th in school history. He tallied the most stops by a Wildcat since 2003, while his total was carried by 79 unassisted tackles, the third most in school history and 14th most nationally during the season. Thanks to Cox’s guidance, Truman, a former walk-on, had a career-high 17 tackles in a win at No. 11 Oklahoma, which were the most by a K-State defender in 11 years. Truman was also a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, presented to the nation’s top walk-on.
With the coaching of Cox and leadership of Truman, the K-State defense ranked second in the Big 12 in scoring defense and third in both total and red zone defense.
Cox made an instant impact on the Wildcat linebackers in 2012 as he tutored two All-Big 12 performers and an All-American in Arthur Brown, who was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Under Cox’s tutelage, Brown was named a finalist for the Lott IMPACT?Trophy and a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award before being selected in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
Cox helped the 2012 Wildcats finish first in the Big 12 in scoring defense as K-State yielded only 22.1 points per game. The Wildcat defense also finished second in the conference and 10th in school history in fewest rushing yards allowed per game. In addition, Kansas State’s 376.5 yards allowed per game were the third-fewest in the conference.
In 2013, All-Big 12 linebacker Blake Slaughter led a Wildcat defense that ranked third in the Big 12 in rushing, scoring and total defense. Slaughter’s 110 tackles on the season ranked sixth in the Big 12, including third among linebackers. Truman, in his first year as a starter, also had 89 tackles.
A 1989 graduate of the University of Idaho, Cox came to K-State from Washington where he served as linebackers coach for three seasons. Prior to joining the Huskies, Cox worked two seasons (2007-08) for the St. Louis Rams, coaching the secondary and linebackers.
Cox was vital to the success at Washington in his three years as he tutored Cort Dennison to All-Pac-12 honors in 2011 before coaching one of the conference’s top linebacker groups in 2010. Senior Mason Foster led the league and finished second in the nation with 163 total tackles, the most by a Pac-10 player since 1989. Foster went on to earn First Team All-Pac-10 and First Team All-America honors. Meanwhile, Victor Aiyewa finished first in the conference and seventh in the nation in tackles for loss, while Dennison was seventh in the league in total tackles.
In his first season as the UW linebackers coach in 2009, Cox helped oversee one of the Huskies’ strongest units. Washington’s 2009 linebacker corps was led by a pair of veterans in Foster and Donald Butler. Those two combined for 193 tackles, including 94 from Butler, who was a Second Team All-Pac-10 selection. Cox also helped coach a defense that made vast improvements over the previous season as opponents’ total offense was reduced by an average of 62 yards per game and opponents scored 12 fewer points per game than in 2008.
A native of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Cox joined the UW staff from the St. Louis Rams where he worked for two seasons. In 2007, he was a defensive quality control/defensive line coach before moving to assistant secondary coach in 2008. After a mid-season coaching change, he became linebackers coach for the Rams. Before his time in the NFL, Cox spent four seasons as linebackers coach at Michigan State, where he was also the recruiting coordinator in 2006.
Much of Cox’s coaching career has been spent on the various coaching staffs of John L. Smith. In all, Cox served 17 seasons for Smith at Michigan State, Louisville, Utah State and Idaho.
Cox coached the linebackers for five seasons at Louisville (1998-2002), helping the Cardinals to consecutive Conference USA championships in 2000 and 2001. He coached three All-CUSA selections and, in 2000, was part of a defense that forced an NCAA-best 37 turnovers. The 2002 Louisville team was 17th in the nation in rushing defense and 22nd in total defense.
From 1995-97, he was on the staff at Utah State where he coached a pair of All-Big West linebackers, David Gill and Tony D’Amato. In 1995, Gill broke Utah State’s season record for tackles with 168. Utah State won back-to-back Big West Conference championships in 1996 and 1997.
As an assistant at Idaho from 1987-94 coaching linebackers and defensive line, Cox helped his alma mater to a combined record of 73-26 (.733) during that time, capturing four Big Sky Conference championships and finishing in the top 10 five times. In 1994, the Vandals led the Big Sky in rushing defense, allowing only 65.3 yards per game.
Cox was a four-year letterwinner at linebacker for Idaho from 1983-86, starting for three seasons. He played for head coaches Dennis Erickson and Keith Gilbertson. He still ranks among the Vandals’ all-time leaders with 252 career tackles. For his efforts in both high school and college, Cox was inducted into the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
Cox earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Idaho in 1989. He and his wife, Jill, have three children, Zac, Jake and Addison.
In just five seasons in Manhattan, Cox has tutored seven linebackers that have earned All-Big 12 accolades, including at lead one honoree each season.
The latest two linebackers to earn All-Big 12 honors were first-teamer Elijah Lee and honorable mention pick Charmeachealle Moore in 2016. Lee, who led the team and ranked third in the Big 12 with 110 tackles, and Moore, who tied for second with 75, became K-State’s first set of linebackers to earn all-conference accolades since 2012. Lee, who tied for 21st nationally in solo tackles per game, also received votes for the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Under Cox’s leaderships, Lee and Moore helped K-State rank 11th nationally in rushing defense and 25th in scoring defense. The Wildcats led the Big 12 in both categories in addition to total defense, the first Big 12 team to lead the conference in all three areas since 2008. Cox also helped tutor the defense to a No. 22 national ranking in rushing defense and a tie for 24th in turnovers gained.
Lee’s accolades in 2016 came on the heels of earning second team all-conference honors in 2015. K-State’s leading tackler as a sophomore, Lee totaled 80 stops to become the first Wildcat underclassman to pace the squad in tackles since 2008. He was also K-State’s first underclassman linebacker to earn first or second team all-conference honors since College Football Hall of Fame inductee Mark Simoneau in 1998. Lee, who also had a team-leading three interceptions, led Cox’s group with 5.5 sacks, helping the Wildcats finish ninth nationally and eighth in school history with 38 sacks on the year.
Thanks to Cox’s guidance, Moore played to an All-Big 12 level toward the end of 2015 as he averaged 10.8 tackles per game over the final four contests, including three-straight wins to close out the regular season and help K-State become bowl eligible for a sixth-straight year. Moore, who averaged only 1.5 tackles in the first eight games of the season, came away with 17 tackles – including 16 solo stops – in the regular-season finale against West Virginia on his way to Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors. Moore’s 16 solo stops were tied for the most nationally during the 2015 season and were the most by a Wildcat since at least 1990.
Prior to Lee and Moore, Cox tutored Jonathan Truman to All-Big 12 honors in 2014 when he carded 128 tackles to finish season third in the Big 12 and 18th in school history. He tallied the most stops by a Wildcat since 2003, while his total was carried by 79 unassisted tackles, the third most in school history and 14th most nationally during the season. Thanks to Cox’s guidance, Truman, a former walk-on, had a career-high 17 tackles in a win at No. 11 Oklahoma, which were the most by a K-State defender in 11 years. Truman was also a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, presented to the nation’s top walk-on.
With the coaching of Cox and leadership of Truman, the K-State defense ranked second in the Big 12 in scoring defense and third in both total and red zone defense.
Cox made an instant impact on the Wildcat linebackers in 2012 as he tutored two All-Big 12 performers and an All-American in Arthur Brown, who was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. Under Cox’s tutelage, Brown was named a finalist for the Lott IMPACT?Trophy and a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award before being selected in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens.
Cox helped the 2012 Wildcats finish first in the Big 12 in scoring defense as K-State yielded only 22.1 points per game. The Wildcat defense also finished second in the conference and 10th in school history in fewest rushing yards allowed per game. In addition, Kansas State’s 376.5 yards allowed per game were the third-fewest in the conference.
In 2013, All-Big 12 linebacker Blake Slaughter led a Wildcat defense that ranked third in the Big 12 in rushing, scoring and total defense. Slaughter’s 110 tackles on the season ranked sixth in the Big 12, including third among linebackers. Truman, in his first year as a starter, also had 89 tackles.
A 1989 graduate of the University of Idaho, Cox came to K-State from Washington where he served as linebackers coach for three seasons. Prior to joining the Huskies, Cox worked two seasons (2007-08) for the St. Louis Rams, coaching the secondary and linebackers.
Cox was vital to the success at Washington in his three years as he tutored Cort Dennison to All-Pac-12 honors in 2011 before coaching one of the conference’s top linebacker groups in 2010. Senior Mason Foster led the league and finished second in the nation with 163 total tackles, the most by a Pac-10 player since 1989. Foster went on to earn First Team All-Pac-10 and First Team All-America honors. Meanwhile, Victor Aiyewa finished first in the conference and seventh in the nation in tackles for loss, while Dennison was seventh in the league in total tackles.
In his first season as the UW linebackers coach in 2009, Cox helped oversee one of the Huskies’ strongest units. Washington’s 2009 linebacker corps was led by a pair of veterans in Foster and Donald Butler. Those two combined for 193 tackles, including 94 from Butler, who was a Second Team All-Pac-10 selection. Cox also helped coach a defense that made vast improvements over the previous season as opponents’ total offense was reduced by an average of 62 yards per game and opponents scored 12 fewer points per game than in 2008.
A native of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Cox joined the UW staff from the St. Louis Rams where he worked for two seasons. In 2007, he was a defensive quality control/defensive line coach before moving to assistant secondary coach in 2008. After a mid-season coaching change, he became linebackers coach for the Rams. Before his time in the NFL, Cox spent four seasons as linebackers coach at Michigan State, where he was also the recruiting coordinator in 2006.
Much of Cox’s coaching career has been spent on the various coaching staffs of John L. Smith. In all, Cox served 17 seasons for Smith at Michigan State, Louisville, Utah State and Idaho.
Cox coached the linebackers for five seasons at Louisville (1998-2002), helping the Cardinals to consecutive Conference USA championships in 2000 and 2001. He coached three All-CUSA selections and, in 2000, was part of a defense that forced an NCAA-best 37 turnovers. The 2002 Louisville team was 17th in the nation in rushing defense and 22nd in total defense.
From 1995-97, he was on the staff at Utah State where he coached a pair of All-Big West linebackers, David Gill and Tony D’Amato. In 1995, Gill broke Utah State’s season record for tackles with 168. Utah State won back-to-back Big West Conference championships in 1996 and 1997.
As an assistant at Idaho from 1987-94 coaching linebackers and defensive line, Cox helped his alma mater to a combined record of 73-26 (.733) during that time, capturing four Big Sky Conference championships and finishing in the top 10 five times. In 1994, the Vandals led the Big Sky in rushing defense, allowing only 65.3 yards per game.
Cox was a four-year letterwinner at linebacker for Idaho from 1983-86, starting for three seasons. He played for head coaches Dennis Erickson and Keith Gilbertson. He still ranks among the Vandals’ all-time leaders with 252 career tackles. For his efforts in both high school and college, Cox was inducted into the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
Cox earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies from Idaho in 1989. He and his wife, Jill, have three children, Zac, Jake and Addison.
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