Two-time national champion with UNC-Chapel Hill, North Carolina Sports Hall of Famer, a top 50 all-time ACC lacrosse player (according to the ACC office), member of 1986 USA world championship team and now Northwood varsity lacrosse coach.
Randy Cox has taken his past experience as member of the UNC lacrosse team and interjected it into Northwood, helping the Chargers achieve their best regular season record in the program’s history, before falling in the 2nd round of the playoffs.
Cox’s lacrosse story started in the seventh grade when he discovered the sport, and it quickly became love at first sight.
“I put a stick in my hand, and it’s been lacrosse ever since,” Cox said.
That passion for lacrosse continued into his high school days, with Cox winning a state championship in 1979, and then being offered a scholarship to play at UNC. Cox played four years in the lacrosse program, winning championships in 1981 and 1982.
“That experience—a national championship and then a second national championship back to back—I’m 55 years old and still today people talk to me about it,” Cox said.
Years later, Cox still has a strong connection with his UNC teammates.
“All those players that were part of it,” Cox said. “There is a bond that makes us who we are today, when we get back together some 35 years later, it’s electric.”
Cox’s championship mentality is something that rubs off on the players.
“It’s pretty cool to have a head coach who is a two-time national champion,” senior captain Jonny Robbins said. “He reminds us a lot that he has been to the highest stage in lacrosse, and he knows what it takes.”
After college, lacrosse stayed in Cox’s mind, as he won the 1986 World Lacrosse Championship with the United States national team. After finishing his playing career, Cox became a score keeper for the UNC lacrosse program and eventually delved into coaching, picking up the job at Northwood.
“Northwood High School had an opportunity for someone to step in to help the existing coaching staff and take lacrosse at Northwood to the next level, and so Coach McDaniel, myself… [and] the administrators [thought] the timing was right and the environment was right.” Cox said. “It seemed like the perfect storm, so here I am today.”
Cox has implemented a team-oriented style of play that led the Chargers to an 11-4 regular season record.
“This year we are working much more as a team,” junior and top point scorer Lars Hoeg said. “Last year was all one-on-one, no teamwork. This year, if you look at the stats, we are playing as a team, and that is definitely the best thing [Cox] has implemented.”
The Chargers were the top regular season assist team in the nation, with 180 assists in 15 games, according to maxpreps.com
That team-oriented style of play has lead the Chargers to their best record in program history, and in the playoffs they made it to the second round before being defeated by the number one seeded Northern Guilford Nighthawks.
The 11-4 regular season and 2nd round playoff finish will be something for the Chargers to improve on. Sophomore and JV Captain Andrew Walden has bright hopes for the future with cox in charge.
“Randy has a lot of experience in the game, playing all his life and winning titles,” Walden said, “Northwood’s JV and Varsity teams have done better than ever, making the playoffs, so I think the future is bright for the team, and I’m excited for it.”
– By Sam Vanolinda
