cox attended western illinois university and was a mass communications major and a letterman in football. in football, he was a four-year letterman and a two-year starter. as a senior, he was named as a first-team all-america selection by the "football gazette" and was a first-team all-conference selection. as a junior, he was named the western illinois most valuable player. as a sophomore, cox played in every game, and finished his sophomore season with 54 tackles, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions and three blocked kicks. as a freshman, cox was a reserve nickel-back and finished the season with 30 tackles.