A day that many athletes and coaches at Cape Coral High will not forget; Tuesday, March 26th was the day that the unfortunate passing of Coach Ronald (Ron) Cox was announced to the student body. Gone too soon, Cox coached the offensive line for the boys’ football team.
Football Head Coach Larry Gary described Cox as very caring and kindhearted when it came to his players. “He gave his all and always talked about empathy,” Gary stated. “When he left here, he had nothing to be ashamed of because he gave his all and I have all the respect in the world and he was a kind-hearted guy.”
According to Gary, Cox believed that being straightforward was the best thing that could be done to help an athlete grow. “He’s the type that never had to lie to make you feel better,” Gary said. “He’s gonna tell you the truth and he’s gonna work you till you improve and that’s what he wants to see out of all our kids, is improvement.”
Starting quarterback for the Seahawks, junior Ivan Harvin stated that Cox was always one of the brightest people in the locker room. “Coach Cox has always been an uplifting person, whether you’re in a bad mood or good, he always made the moment brighter and sometimes you need that coach,” Harvin explained.
Before their time in the nest, Harvin and Cox were a part of the Cypress Lake High football team, and since then, they were closer than ever. “We made the playoffs and took a trip out of town and enjoyed our time there and every moment we had together at CCHS was a blessing,” said Harvin.
For many, Cox was also someone who you could talk to if you needed it. “Coach Cox was someone I talked to a lot throughout the school day so it is just different now with him not there,” said senior mid-linebacker Tyler Rehm.
Rehm explained that Cox was one he could always count on to get advice from. “It just really shows that he cared a lot about all of us and wants to see us excel in life,” said Rehm.
Linemate of Rehm, offensive linebacker Derrick Oge agreed with his statement, stating one of Cox’s most impactful quotes, “If you work hard enough at something you want and you keep trying, you will achieve it.”
According to Oge, Cox was someone who made a “lifelong impact” on himself. “He’s made a lifelong impact on me personally by giving me advice on how to be a better person and how to deal with certain situations,” Oge explained.
“In football, just helping me tweak my minor flaws to be the best player I can be, he was always putting someone else’s needs before his own.”
Some of Gary’s favorite moments with Cox were the long conversations they had during their office breaks. “We always talked in the office and we just talked,” Gary stated. “We always talked about how we can help and improve a kid’s life.”
When Cox passed, Gary explained that was when he realized the true motivation he put into his student-athletes throughout his years at Cape. “You could see in his actions that he was a great motivator and he always talked about life,” Gary said.
“What we do here is in this sport, it’s not about life but it has a lot to do with teaching you how to work as an individual, how to work in a group, how to be disciplined. He never wanted his players to get too comfortable when it came to game time.”
Cox was a man of achievement, one with a large sense of direction. “He achieved so much with the kids in the short time he was here,” said Gary. “Good motivator, caring guy, a no-nonsense guy. He always talked about not being comfortable. If you get comfortable, then you start lacking and then that’s when you get hit without knowing it.”
Oge stated that something that made Cox the person he was, was his open sense of humor. “He’d always be able to make me and the other players laugh and brighten up our days, even if we were in a bad mood,” said Oge.
While Cox’s spirit may no longer be in the nest, that didn’t stop Harvin from thinking positively. “Losing a guy like Coach Cox definitely hurts but I know as the person he is and his high spirits, he’d want us to grieve and move on and remember the memories and time we spent together,” Harvin said.
Whenever Cox’s face crosses Gary’s mind, he will always think of one word: dash. “That dash indicates all the good things that he did while he was here,” Gary stated.
“Numbers are good, but the most important thing is that dash. There is a dash, between all the good things he did, from the beginning to the end.”
