Former NJCAA Cross Country Coaches Association President Don Cox passes away

Charlotte, NC – Former Cuyahoga Community College head cross country coach, Dr. Donald Cox, passed away on Saturday, June 22. For more than 30 years, Cox was a dedicated coach and supporter of NJCAA cross country. Throughout his tenure, Cox coached 73 cross country individual Coaches Association Academic All-Americans and five NJCAA Cross Country All-Americans. His student-athletes succeeded both in competition and in the classroom with his 2005, 2013, and 2016 teams earning the No. 1 ranking in the Coaches Association Academic team ranking. Before he left, the Tri-C's won 19 of the last 20 regional titles under Cox's leadership.

On a national level, Cox served as the president of the NJCAA Cross Country Coaches Association from 2013-2021, secretary from 2000-2012, and was a member of the Hall of Fame Committee from 2000-2022. He also served as the NJCAA Cross Country Coaches Association representative with USTFCCCA from 2014-2022. With USTFCCCA, Cox worked to gain full membership for two-year college coaches, developed legislative recommendations for the NJCAA Cross Country and Half Marathon Sport Code, served as a national championship site evaluator, and helped coordinate numerous national championship events. 

As an NJCAA cross country contributor, Cox played a role in the development of half marathon as an official championship sport in 2003 along with Division II cross country being reinstated in 2020. After several years of service, Cox was inducted into the NJCAA Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2022.