 Cox with theMontreal Alouettes in 2007 | |
| No. 11 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1983-06-24)June 24, 1983 (age 42) Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Beechcroft (Columbus) |
| College | Ohio |
| Career history | |
| 2005 | Detroit Lions* |
| 2006 | Montreal Alouettes |
| 2007 | Washington Redskins* |
| 2007–2018 | Montreal Alouettes |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Canadian Football Hall of Fame (Class of 2022) | |
Chip Cox (born June 24, 1983) is an American former professionalfootballlinebacker who played for theMontreal Alouettes of theCanadian Football League (CFL) for 13 seasons. He is a two-timeGrey Cup champion, winning in2009 and2010, and winner of theCFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award in2013. He is also a six-time CFL Divisional All-Star and three-time CFL All-Star. He holds three CFL records, including most career fumble return yards (392), most career fumble return touchdowns (6), and the record for longest fumble return (108 yards in 2011). Cox also holds several Alouettes records including most career tackles (979), most single season defensive tackles (115 in 2013), and most defensive tackles in a single game (13 againstCalgary on July 1, 2012). He playedcollege football for theOhio Bobcats.
Coxlettered three years in both track andfootball atBeechcroft High School in Columbus, earning special mention all-state recognition in football his senior year. Cox became a second-degreeblack belt inTae Kwon Do in his Junior year.
As a player for theOhio Bobcats, Cox recorded 240 careertackles (176 solo), nine tackles for losses, fivesacks, fourinterceptions, 29passes defended, seven forcedfumbles, two fumble recoveries and three blockedfield goals. He holds the Ohio school record for the40-yard dash (4.37 seconds), andstarted every game his sophomore and junior years, but battled injuries as a senior, only playing in nine games. He was also a member of theOhio Bobcatstrack and field team, where he was a premieresprinter and placed sixth in the100 meter dash at the 2004Mid-American Conference championships.
Cox was originally signed by theDetroit Lions as anundraftedrookiefree agent on April 28, 2005, and he spent the 2005training camp and preseason with the team. However, Cox was released on August 30, and he subsequently played in the CFL for the Montreal Alouettes. On January 9, 2007, he was signed by theWashington Redskins but was cut before training camp and returned to Montreal. After switching to thelinebacker position for the2009 season, Cox led the CFL in forced fumbles and capped off the year by winning the97th Grey Cup with the Alouettes. In2010, the Alouettes repeated as champions and won the98th Grey Cup.
On November 5, 2011 against theBC Lions, Cox reached 400 career defensive tackles with the Alouettes, becoming the only player in club history to achieve this feat.
In2013, Cox had a career high, and league leading, number of tackles with 115. He also had 12 sacks (career high) and four interceptions en route to winning theCFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award and theJames P. McCaffrey Trophy. With his 115 tackles that season, he broke theMontreal Alouettes single-season record of 110 set byTracy Gravely in the1996 CFL season.
On December 2, 2014, the Alouettes announced that they had resigned Cox to a three-year deal worth more than $200,000 annually, which general manager Jim Popp stated would make him the CFL's highest-paid defensive player.[1] He continued to have strong performances, registering at least 65 defensive tackles in each of the subsequent four seasons. He became afree agent on February 13, 2019.
Cox was announced as a member of theCanadian Football Hall of Fame 2022 class on June 21, 2022.[2]
