As students at Jefferson Middle School in Oak Ridge, Tenn., go through their daily schedules, do they realize that Mr. Cox, their vice principal and athletics director, is a bona fide SEC basketball legend? That’s Phil Cox, BS’85, who at one time held the Vanderbilt scoring record with 1,724 points. He now ranks third, but if the three-point shot had been a part of the game during his career, the hot-shooting guard’s record may well have been untouchable. “People have mentioned that to me,” Cox says, “but I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to play at Vanderbilt. Life’s been good to me.” He was a two-time All-SEC selection and set league records for most consecutive free throws made in a season (43) and over two seasons (47). He still ranks second in that category. In recognition of his achievements, Cox was named a member of the 2009 class of Southeastern Conference Basketball Legends at the SEC Tournament in Tampa, Fla., in March. “It was a totally awesome experience,” he says of the four-day tournament, which he attended with his daughter, Callie, a high-school freshman basketball and softball player. “I’ll always cherish that time I was able to spend with my daughter,” he says. “She heard stories that were told of my days as a player. It brought back a lot of memories.” Cox and his wife, Kim, also have two sons: Trevor, 10, and Eli, 6.
