Fred Cox facts for kids

Frederick William Cox (born December 11, 1938 – died November 20, 2019) was a famous American football player. He played as a kicker for 15 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). All his NFL career was spent with the Minnesota Vikings. Before joining the NFL, he played college football at the University of Pittsburgh. Interestingly, Fred Cox also invented the popular Nerf football toy.

Early Life and College Football

Fred Cox grew up in a town called Monongahela, Pennsylvania. This town is located just outside Pittsburgh. His parents owned a small grocery store. Today, his brother's family still runs this store. It has been in their family for four generations.

College Career and Draft

Fred Cox played college football for the University of Pittsburgh. After college, he was chosen in the 1961 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He was also picked in the 1961 AFL Draft by the New York Titans. However, he never played for either of these teams. Instead, he started his professional career with the Minnesota Vikings.

Professional Football Career

Fred Cox became a legendary player for the Minnesota Vikings. He holds the record for the most points scored in Vikings history, with 1,365 points. He also made the most field goals for the team, with 282. He was one of only 11 Vikings players who played in all four of their Super Bowl games during the 1970s.

Key Achievements and Records

In his first season, Fred Cox made 12 out of 24 field goals. His longest kick was 46 yards. He also served as a punter, kicking the ball 70 times for a total of 2,707 yards. He was a very consistent kicker throughout his career.

He led the NFL in scoring twice. In 1969, he scored 121 points. In 1970, he scored 125 points. For both of these years, he was named a first-team All-Pro player. He also received NFC first-team All-Pro honors in 1971. He scored over 100 points in four different seasons. He also scored at least 90 points in three other seasons.

In playoff games, he was very reliable. He made 11 out of 18 field goals. He also made 38 out of 40 extra points in 18 playoff games. In the Super Bowls, he made 4 out of 5 extra points. In 1970, he was selected to play in the Pro Bowl game as the NFC kicker. When he retired, Fred Cox was the NFL's second all-time leading scorer.

Life After Football

After his football career, Fred Cox pursued other interests. He was married to Elayne Darrall Cox, and they had four children: Darryl, Susan, Fred A., and Kim Ok-soon. Later, he married Bonnie Hope Cox.

Chiropractic Career

In 1972, Fred Cox earned a degree in chiropractic from Northwestern Health Sciences University. He opened his own chiropractic office in Buffalo, Minnesota, in 1975. He later moved back to his hometown of Monongahela, Pennsylvania, and opened another clinic with his daughter, Susan. Eventually, he returned to Monticello, Minnesota, where he practiced chiropractic part-time before retiring.

The Nerf Football Invention

In 1972, Fred Cox came up with an idea for a soft football. This idea later became the famous Nerf football. He sold his idea to Parker Brothers the following year. Millions of Nerf footballs have been sold since then. This invention brought Fred Cox and his partners many years of royalties.