Bryan Keith Cox Sr. (born February 17, 1968) is an American professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
coach and former player who currently serves as the assistant defensive line coach for the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). He played as a
linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...
in the NFL. He was a three-time
Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players.
The format has changed ...
selection with the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
, and was a member of the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
team that won
Super Bowl XXXVI.
Cox played
college football
College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Western Illinois Leathernecks, an FCS program that has developed other NFL talent, and received attention for his aggressive style of play. Although Cox was a relatively late fifth-round pick by the Dolphins in the
1991 NFL draft
The 1991 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991, at the Marriott Ma ...
, he rose to prominence as a standout linebacker during his twelve NFL seasons from 1991 through 2002.
Early life and college
Cox was a member of the
East St. Louis High School Flyers
high school football
High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...
team, where he was coached by
Bob Shannon.
Cox attended
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois, United States. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. Once West ...
and was a mass communications major and a letterman in football. In football, he was a four-year letterman and a two-year starter. As a senior, he was named as a first-team All-America selection by the ''Football Gazette'' and was a first-team all-conference selection. As a junior, he was named the Western Illinois Most Valuable Player. As a sophomore, Cox played in every game, and finished his sophomore season with 54 tackles, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, two interceptions and three blocked kicks. As a freshman, Cox was a reserve nickel-back and finished the season with 30 tackles.
Professional playing career
Cox was selected by the Dolphins in the fifth round of the 1991 NFL draft, chosen 113th overall. As a rookie, Cox started 13 games as the Dolphins right outside linebacker, racking up a total of 61 tackles along with two sacks. Miami finished out the season 8-8. In his sophomore campaign, Cox blossomed and helped lead the Dolphins to an 11–5 record and the AFC Championship Game. He made his first Pro Bowl and was named to the All Pro team after recording 127 tackles, 14 sacks and five forced fumbles. Miami switched to a 4-3 defense in 1993 and Cox was moved to right linebacker. The team started out 9–2, but lost their last five to miss the playoffs. Cox again led the team with 122 tackles, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. He also collected five sacks and an interception.
Cox earned his second Pro Bowl selection in 1994, starting 16 games at middle linebacker, leading the team with 100 tackles. Miami finished the season 10–6, winning the Wild Card Game against the Kansas City Chiefs, 27–17 before losing the Divisional Playoff to the San Diego Chargers, 22–21. In 1995, Cox was selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl, and third overall. He again started every game at middle linebacker, finishing the year with a team high 119 tackles, 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. The Dolphins went 9–7 before bowing out in the Wild Card Game to the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
, 37–22. The defense tied for the AFC lead by allowing only seven rushing touchdowns. Overall, Cox spent five years with the Dolphins playing both outside and middle linebacker, starting 75 out of a possible 78 games. While with Miami, Cox made his distaste towards
division rival Buffalo widely known, giving
the finger
"The finger", or the middle finger (as in giving someone the (middle) finger, flipping the bird or flipping someone off) is an obscene hand gesture. The gesture communicates moderate to extreme contempt, and is roughly equivalent in meaning t ...
towards fans in 1993 and getting into a fist-fight with Bills fullback
Carwell Gardner in 1995. Both Gardner and Cox were ejected for the altercation. On his way back to the locker room, Cox repeatedly spit into the air, intended as gesture to the heckling Buffalo fans.
Cox would go on to play seven more seasons in the NFL for the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
,
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
,
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
, and
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
. In a career encompassing 165 games, Cox recorded 764 tackles, tallied 51.5 quarterback sacks, caught four interceptions and forced 22 fumbles. Among his most famous plays was a 27-yard interception-return touchdown against the Patriots in September 1999 while playing with the Jets; another famous play came with the Patriots in September 2001 in a game against the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
; Cox hit receiver
Jerome Pathon in the first quarter, a hit that briefly knocked Pathon out.
Throughout his NFL career, Cox was easily recognizable on the field due to the unusual headrest- or "surfboard"-style neck roll he wore and colored to match his uniform jersey.
NFL career statistics
Regular season
Post-playing career
From 2004 to 2005 he worked as an analyst for
TVG Network. Cox also co-hosted an afternoon drive radio program for Fox Sports Radio in 2006 alongside
Chris Myers. Cox was a football analyst on FS1 in 2018.
Coaching career
He was an assistant defensive line coach for the
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...
for three seasons (
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
–
2008
2008 was designated as:
*International Year of Languages
*International Year of Planet Earth
*International Year of the Potato
*International Year of Sanitation
The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
) under
Eric Mangini. After Mangini was fired and became the coach of the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
in January 2009, he brought Cox with him, where Cox was the defensive line coach.
On February 21, 2011, Cox was hired by the
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
as their pass rush coach.
On February 17, 2012, Cox was hired to become a defensive assistant at the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
. He was hired the same day as
Bill Sheridan.
On January 11, 2014, Cox was hired by the
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
as their defensive line coach.In the 2016 season, Cox and the Falcons reached
Super Bowl LI on February 5, 2017. Against the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
, the Falcons would fall in a 34–28 overtime defeat.
On February 8, 2017, the Atlanta Falcons relieved Cox of his duties as the defensive line coach.
On February 16, 2022, Cox joined the New York Giants as a defensive line assistant.
Personal life
Cox was born in East Saint Louis, Illinois to Ronald Cox and Nancy Mathis. He has five siblings, Christopher, Pamela, Anthony, Tonya and Junius Cox.
He is married to Kim Brown and has five children
Bryan Cox Jr., Brittani Cox, Lavonda Cox, Chiquita Cox, and Kelli Cox.
Bryan's son,
Bryan Cox Jr., played football as a defensive lineman for the Florida Gators and was a member of the
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
practice squad, but got promoted to the active roster in late September 2017. He signed with the Cleveland Browns on November 13, 2019. On April 29, 2020, he signed with the Buffalo Bills, who were ironically his father's most-hated rival.,
and in February 2025, signed with the nearby
CFL Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...
, after two seasons with
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...
.
Notes and references
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Bryan
1968 births
American Conference Pro Bowl players
American football linebackers
Atlanta Falcons coaches
Chicago Bears players
Cleveland Browns coaches
Living people
Miami Dolphins coaches
Miami Dolphins players
New England Patriots players
New Orleans Saints players
New York Jets coaches
New York Jets players
Players of American football from East St. Louis, Illinois
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches
Western Illinois Leathernecks football players
New York Giants coaches
Coaches of American football from Illinois