The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2018
- Class:
- 2018
One of the most dominant relievers in Texas Baseball history, J. Brent Cox helped the Longhorns to three consecutive College World Series appearances from 2003 to 2005 and served as the Longhorns' closer during the 2005 National Championship run. As a junior that year, Cox recorded 19 saves in 42 appearances, both marks that are tied for the most in a single season in Texas Baseball history. The right-hander compiled an 8-3 record with a 1.73 ERA that season, striking out 87 batters in just 78 innings of work. For his efforts, Cox was named the first-ever winner of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Award, honoring the top relief pitcher in college baseball, and was chosen first-team All-America. En route to Omaha, Cox picked up his 15th save in a win over Arkansas that sent Texas to the NCAA Super Regional. There, with the Longhorns having fallen in game one to No. 8 Mississippi, Cox closed out games two and three to seal Texas' fourth straight berth in the College World Series. Once in Omaha, Cox found himself on the hill in all five games for the Horns. In game one versus No. 4 Baylor, he followed Adrian Alaniz's strong start to seal the 5-1 win. In game two against top-ranked Tulane, Cox and starter Kyle McCulloch combined for a 5-0 shutout, the Longhorns' first CWS shutout since 1983. After taking game three versus Baylor, Texas found itself up against SEC champion Florida in the best-of-three finals. Once again, Cox dominated for Texas. In game one, he sealed a 4-2 win over the Gators, and with the Longhorns on the brink of the title, Cox got the final out of game two to give Texas the National Championship. Cox was named to the CWS All-Tournament team, and his 13 career appearances in Omaha are tied for the most in CWS history. A three-time All-Big 12 honoree, including two first-team selections, the Bay City, Texas native held a 1.99 career ERA over three seasons, the 10th-best all-time mark in UT history. His 24 career saves rank third all-time behind Corey Knebel (37) and Huston Street (41). Cox participated in international play as well, competing for USA Baseball on both the 2004 Collegiate National Team and the 2006 Olympic Qualifying Team. Following his junior season, Cox was drafted in the second round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the New York Yankees. He played in the Yankees organization for five seasons before returning to Austin in 2011. While finishing his degree, Cox became a student-assistant coach for the Longhorns, helping Texas back to Omaha once again. In May of that year, Cox graduated from UT with a degree in education and he currently works for Nalco Champion in South Texas.
