James Cox (quarterback)

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James Cox
Profile
Position Quarterback
Personal information
Born (1983-12-29) December 29, 1983 (age 41)
Northridge California, U.S.
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College Colorado
Awards and highlights
  • 2001–02 Scholar-Athlete Award

James Cox (born December 29, 1983) is a former starting quarterback for the Colorado Buffaloes football team in 2005 and 2006.

Contents

College career

2003–04

He mainly saw action as a replacement for Joel Klatt when injured or when the outcome of the game was already decided. He played in two games in 2003 and five games, including his first start in place of Klatt, in 2004. [1] His first start came on October 16, 2004, against Iowa State when Klatt suffered a neck injury the previous week against Oklahoma State. [2] However, head coach Gary Barnett said the decision to start Cox in place of Klatt was not solely based on Klatt's injury.

My perspective at this point in time is that that is the best decision for our football team. (Klatt’s injury) was not the reason for the decision, but it certainly figures in. I will just leave it at that. —Gary Barnett [2]

But Cox would be pulled in the second quarter after throwing an interception. [3]

2005

Cox was a backup all season to Klatt, seeing action in seven games but only when the outcome had already been decided. However, when Klatt suffered a season-ending concussion during the Big 12 Championship game on December 3, 2006, Cox saw the majority of the action for the season but went 1–8 with 9 yards passing. He was named the starter for the Champs Sports Bowl. Cox was ineffective in the bowl game on December 27, 2006, against Clemson going 4–12 with 26 yards and 4 sacks and was replaced with Brian White. [4]

2006

With a new head coach, Dan Hawkins, all positions were up for grabs (except the kicker, which Mason Crosby already had a lock on the position), especially the quarterback position with Joel Klatt's eligibility used up. [5] Cox, the only senior quarterback on the team and the only quarterback with career starts for experience was thought to be the favorite. But he missed all of spring training with a broken thumb while his two main competitors, juniors Bernard Jackson and Brian White practiced. (Cody Hawkins, also the head coach's son, redshirted for the 2006 season.) On August 20, 2006, Coach Hawkins announced Cox would be the starting quarterback. [6] [1] He started the first game of the season on September 2, 2006, against Division I-AA Montana State. Colorado lost the game 19–10 in the start of the horrible season. Cox went 8–22 with no touchdowns or interceptions, despite starting the game with the longest first play from scrimmage in Colorado's history, a 42-yard pass to Patrick Williams. [7] He was surprisingly replaced as starter the following week by Bernard Jackson. [8] [9]

Cox threw just 8 passes the rest of the season seeing only limited action. He missed traveling with the team in Week 4 against Georgia due to the death of his father. [10] He suffered a season ending broken thumb requiring surgery against Kansas on October 28, 2006. [8]

Statistics

College statistics [11]
PassingRushing
SeasonGAttComIntPct.YdsTDLongAttYdsAvg.TDLong
20032110100.00002−3−1.503
200454928357.133024511373.4112
200572913044.893017730.406
200643011036.712404210−12−1.219
Totals1810953348.654724530250.8212

Personal

Cox majored in communication at Colorado. He was a 2001–02 National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award recipient.

References

  1. 1 2 Kyle Ringo (August 30, 2006). "A long-awaited fresh start". Dailycamera.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  2. 1 2 "Cox replaces Klatt as CU's starting QB". Gazette.com. October 14, 2004. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  3. AP (October 16, 2004). "CROSBY DIALS LONG DISTANCE IN BUFFS WIN OVER ISU". CUBuffs.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  4. AP (December 27, 2005). "Buffs Fall 19–10 to Clemson In Champs Sports Bowl". CUBuffs.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  5. Erich Schubert (March 10, 2006). "Spring is Upon Us". CUBuffs.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  6. Erich Schubert (August 20, 2006). "James Cox Named Starting Quarterback for Buffs". CUBuffs.com. Retrieved August 25, 2006.
  7. Justin Coons (September 2, 2006). "Montana State Spoils Dan Hawkins' CU Debut". CUBuffs.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  8. 1 2 Kyle Ringo (October 31, 2006). "Cox: 'It's always something'". Dailycamera.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  9. Jake Schaller (September 4, 2006). "CSU 14, CU 10 at Invesco Field at Mile High". Gazette.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007.
  10. Erich Schubert (September 21, 2006). "QB James Cox Likely To Miss Georgia Game". CUBuffs.com. Retrieved September 22, 2006.
  11. "Post-2006 Season Biographies" (PDF). CUBuffs.com. Retrieved March 14, 2007.