Lehigh University Athletics
Cox one of four inducted into Penske Hall of Fame
5/5/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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A three-sport standout at Lehigh in the late 1930s, Alfred T. “Al” Cox made his mark on the baseball diamond, on the gridiron, as well as on the basketball court.
Cox came to Lehigh in his mid-20’s, following a stint in the United States Army, where he worked on decoding foreign messages. He immediately made an impact on the baseball team, where he was a four-year starter and later a team captain in his final season. Cox was Lehigh’s every day center fielder.
Dick Mascuch was Cox’s fraternity brother in Delta Sigma Phi. “Al had a terrific arm,” Mascuch recalled. “He could throw a guy out at home plate from center field on the fly.”
His work was no less impressive on the football field. Cox was a four-year letter winner for the Brown and White, playing multiple positions. Despite his relatively small size, Cox was the team’s left halfback at 148 lbs. As a senior, Cox led Lehigh in both passing and total offense. He ranked sixth in the country in passing that year, and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 1939 Lehigh-Lafayette game – a game that Lehigh lost 29-13. For his efforts, Cox earned All-East and All-Pennsylvania recognition for football.
Cox stayed busy in the winter time as well, serving as a forward on the Lehigh basketball team. Though the team won fewer than 50% of its games in the four-year span in which he was a team member, Cox did his part, earning four varsity letters. Lehigh did beat
Not only did Cox stay busy competing in varsity athletics at Lehigh, he was an active member of the campus community, and was named the Big Man on Campus for his involvement in so many activities. Cox served as the president of the Newtonian Society, and was president of the Phi Eta Sigma honors society. Cox also demonstrated his leadership abilities by serving as the president of the Class of 1940 for two straight years.
A native of
Following his time at Lehigh, Cox returned to the Army, working in intelligence operations during World War II. He then spent time as an airline executive.
Al Cox passed away in 1973.
The annual Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame induction is sponsored by the Lehigh Athletics partnership.
