Erwin Cox

Erwin Cox earned eight letters at Kokomo High School and qualified for the pole vault state finals three times. As a senior, he set the school pole vault record at 13-9, won the Logansport Sectional, and finished state runner-up after breaking the state mark. He also played two years of football and captained the 1962 NCC champion Kats as their quarterback. On the hardwood, Cox started every game his junior and senior years and was the second-leading scorer behind Jim “Goose” Ligon on the 1961–62 Final Four team. He made the All-Regional and All-Semi-State teams in 1962. He earned the WIOU Athlete of the Year award in 1963. At Division I Drake, he broke the school pole vault record at 14-1 and averaged 19 points per game as a freshman walk-on, and was named one of the nation’s top 20 freshmen by Sport magazine. He then focused on basketball, starting his final three seasons and playing alongside future ABA Pacer Bob Netolicky. Erwin and his wife, Loretta, live in Russiaville and have been married 35 years; he founded Erwin Cox Inspection Services in 1974, is now retired, and has three adult children: Amy Turner, Lisa Toney, and Jennifer Hendrix.