Mason Cox
Mason Cox (born March 14, 1991) is an American-Australian professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Playing as a ruckman and key forward, he first played Australian rules football in April 2014 before making his AFL debut two years later in April 2016. Cox had previously played basketball for Oklahoma State University in the Big 12 Conference and, standing at 211 cm (6 ft 10in),[4] is the tallest player to ever be measured at an AFL Draft Combine.[5]
| Mason Cox | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cox playing for Collingwood in August 2018 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Mason Cox | ||
| Nickname(s) | American Pie,[1] Coxzilla[2] | ||
| Date of birth | March 14, 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Highland Village, Texas, U.S. | ||
| Original team(s) | Oklahoma State University (Big 12) | ||
| Draft | No. 60 pick, 2015 rookie draft | ||
| Height | 211 cm (6 ft 11 in)[3] | ||
| Weight | 108 kg (238 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Ruckman/forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Collingwood | ||
| Number | 46 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2015– | Collingwood | 94 (100) | |
| 1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2022 season. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early life
Cox was born in Highland Village, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, U.S.,[6] to parents Jeanette and Phil, the youngest of their three sons.[7] Cox was a student at Edward S. Marcus High School in Flower Mound, Texas, and was part of the school's state championship-winning soccer team.[8] One of his schoolmates at Marcus, and teammates in college, was future Boston Celtics player Marcus Smart.[9]
Cox studied engineering at Oklahoma State University, graduating in 2014.[10] While studying, he started playing basketball as a hobby.[11] He initially joined the Oklahoma State Cowgirls' "scout team" to simulate Brittney Griner, former Baylor University basketball player.[12] After being noticed by former head coach Travis Ford, he was asked to join the university's men's basketball team as a walk-on.[9] He played a total of 57 minutes for the Cowboys, scoring seven points. One of his highlights while playing NCAA Division I basketball was shutting down future National Basketball Association star Joel Embiid while defending him.[11]
Recruitment
Cox was invited to attend the 2014 US International Combine for potential Australian rules footballers, in Los Angeles in April 2014. After impressive performances in the skills testing,[13] he travelled to Australia for a second combine and on May 30, 2014, was signed by the Collingwood Football Club.[14][15] AFL teams Port Adelaide, North Melbourne, Richmond, and Fremantle were also reported as having shown interest in recruiting Cox.[10]
Cox played for the Collingwood reserves team in the Victorian Football League (VFL) throughout the 2015 season whilst learning the game and improving his skills.[16]
Cox became known for his goal kicking accuracy in the VFL, being ranked equal 10th.[17] Cox shone in the 2016 NAB Challenge pre-season series showing his ability to compete at that level kicking 2 goals against Geelong, his ability to take contested marks and average a goal a game across both the VFL and AFL drew notice.[17] Despite his strong showing at AFL level in the NAB Challenge, he was not elevated at the start of the season and returned to VFL level for the premiership season.
Cox played well in the opening two games of the 2016 VFL season[16] including a dominant performance up forward against Port Melbourne and as such earned a long awaited call up to the AFL.[17]
AFL career
Cox made his AFL debut on April 25, 2016, in the annual Anzac Day match against Essendon. Within the first 80 seconds of the match, he took his first mark and scored the game's first goal with his first kick in the AFL.[18] Collingwood went on to win the match by 69 points.[19]
On September 11, 2017, despite interest from other clubs, Cox signed a three-year contract extension, keeping him at Collingwood until the end of 2020.[20] Cox continued his good form in the 2018 season, kicking a career-high 5 goals in the Queen's Birthday match at the MCG and was awarded the Neale Daniher trophy as Best on Ground.[21]
In the 2018 Preliminary Final against Richmond, he played a man-of-the-match performance, kicking three goals consecutively and taking many contested marks; Bruce McAvaney remarked "what has Collingwood unleashed" when talking about Mason's performance.
In the 2018 Grand Final, he kicked 2 goals during the 3rd quarter and took many contested marks while playing in Collingwood's loss.
Cox has received special dispensation from the AFL to wear prescription sunglasses in competition. Cox suffered a torn retina in one eye due to an accidental eye poke in a 2019 game against Gold Coast Suns and a detached retina in the other eye after an on-field altercation in the 2018 Grand Final. He has had six eye surgeries in his career. After the 2019 injury, Cox said he had to spend two weeks in bed in a darkened room for 45 minutes of each hour, calling it "probably the lowest moment of my life."[22]
Cox was seeking permanent resident status on a path towards Australian citizenship to fulfill his desire to live the rest of his life in Australia, committing to a multi-year contract at Collingwood.[23] At the end of March 2020, he was accepted to become an Australian citizen.[24] Cox became a citizen of Australia on June 22, 2022 at a special citizenship ceremony at the MCG along with over one hundred conferees.[25]
Statistics
Updated to the end of the 2022 season.[26]
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | H/O | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | H/O | |||||
| 2015 | Collingwood | 46 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2016 | Collingwood | 46 | 11 | 17 | 7 | 50 | 32 | 82 | 30 | 24 | 79 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 7.5 | 2.7 | 2.2 | 7.2 | 1 |
| 2017 | Collingwood | 46 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 38 | 32 | 70 | 29 | 23 | 145 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 3.6 | 7.8 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 16.1 | 0 |
| 2018 | Collingwood | 46 | 24 | 25 | 12 | 148 | 89 | 237 | 119 | 38 | 164 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 6.2 | 3.7 | 9.9 | 5.0 | 1.6 | 6.8 | 3 |
| 2019 | Collingwood | 46 | 14 | 19 | 10 | 78 | 49 | 127 | 60 | 11 | 56 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 5.6 | 3.5 | 9.1 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 4.0 | 0 |
| 2020[a] | Collingwood | 46 | 11 | 14 | 2 | 38 | 31 | 69 | 35 | 6 | 34 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 6.3 | 3.2 | 0.5 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Collingwood | 46 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 41 | 25 | 66 | 26 | 7 | 23 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 5.9 | 3.6 | 9.4 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 0 |
| 2022 | Collingwood | 46 | 18 | 7 | 8 | 112 | 40 | 152 | 58 | 36 | 317 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 8.4 | 3.2 | 2.0 | 17.6 | 1 |
| Career | 94 | 100 | 52 | 505 | 298 | 803 | 357 | 145 | 818 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 5.4 | 3.2 | 8.5 | 3.8 | 1.5 | 8.7 | 5 | ||
Notes
- ^ The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Honours and achievements
Individual
- Neale Daniher Trophy: 2018
Personal life
Mason's older brothers also now play Australian rules. Nolan played the USAFL National Championships team Austin Crows and has also represented the USA Revolution national team.[27] Austin plays for USAFL club the Seattle Grizzlies. Mason has expressed a keen interest in promoting the game at the grassroots in the US, visiting the US to support his brothers at the USAFL National Championships.[28]
References
- ^ Walsh, Courtney (April 26, 2016). "Collingwood lean on their American Pie Mason Cox in Anzac Day thrashing". The Australian. from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
- ^ McGowan, Marc (April 13, 2020). "'I was so s**thouse': An American story with seven 'Coxzilla' twists". Australian Football League. Telstra Media. from the original on April 13, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ "official Bio". from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
- ^ "Mason Cox | AFL". collingwoodfc.com.au. from the original on March 21, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
- ^ "afl.com.au". from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ "Mason Cox bio, stats". espn.go.com. ESPN Inc. from the original on April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ "American Mason Cox kicks goal with first touch in AFL". Seven Sport. April 25, 2016. from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- ^ Magelssen, Tommy (April 26, 2016). "Former Flower Mound Marcus soccer standout, Oklahoma State basketball player Mason Cox makes debut for 'Dallas Cowboys' of Australian rules football". The Dallas Morning News. from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Hines, Kelly (April 27, 2016). "Former OSU basketball player Mason Cox scores opening goal in Australian Football League debut". Tulsa World. from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Quayle, Emma (May 21, 2014). "Could Mason Cox be the next really big thing?". The Age. Fairfax Media. from the original on May 30, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ a b Hines, Kelly (April 28, 2014). "Does OSU's Mason Cox have a future in Australian Rules Football?". Tulsa World. from the original on December 8, 2018. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
- ^ Hines, Kelly (February 15, 2014). "OSU walk-on Mason Cox in spotlight after big game against Texas". Tulsa World. from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Twomey, Callum (April 28, 2014). "Taller than Sandi: Basketballer shines at US combine". from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Higgins, Ben (May 30, 2014). "Collingwood snares 211cm US prodigy Mason Cox as an international rookie". Herald Sun. from the original on June 19, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ Chiarelli, Simon (May 30, 2014). "Magpies sign 211cm US athlete". collingwoodfc.com.au. BigPond. from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ^ a b . Inside Football. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c Why Collingwood should unleash Mason Cox, Sydney’s big test by Ben Waterworth from Fox Sports 14 April 2016
- ^ Baldwin, Adam (April 25, 2016). "Collingwood's American import Mason Cox boots first goal with first kick on ANZAC Day". Fox Sports.
- ^ King, Travis (April 25, 2016). . AFL.com.au. BigPond. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016.
- ^ Laughton, Max (September 11, 2017). "American ruck/forward Mason Cox signs new three-year deal at Collingwood, rebuffing interest from other clubs". Fox Sports. from the original on March 4, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
- ^ "'It is a remarkable story': American recruit Mason Cox shows why Collingwood has invested so much". Fox Sports Australia. June 12, 2018. from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ^ Sullivan, Matthew (June 9, 2022). "Collingwood's Mason Cox slams 'disgusting' commentary, opens up on 'lowest moment of my life'". Fox Sports.
- ^ Ralph, Jon (November 7, 2017). "Mason Cox wants to become Australian citizen - and cement place in Collingwood line-up". Herald Sun. from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
- ^ Cox, Mason [@masonsixtencox] (March 30, 2020). "Well I have been accepted to become a citizen. Only need to be sworn in. Is it possible to do that from the comfort of my living room? Also what is the best fact about Australia I should know before becoming one of y'all" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Collingwood celebrates new Australian Citizens". collingwoodfc.com.au. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
- ^ "Mason Cox". AFL Tables. from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
- ^ "Revolution narrow IC17 squad and look to Europe". from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ Mason Cox and brother Nolan help Austin Crows win back-to-back flags at USAFL nationals November 14, 2021, at the Wayback Machine thewest.com.au 26 October 2019
External links
- Mason Cox's profile on the official website of the Collingwood Football Club
- Mason Cox's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Mason Cox's profile at OSU Cowboys