Walter Thompson Cox Jr. (September 19, 1918 – June 28, 2006) was an American university administrator and coach who served as the 10th President of

Clemson University Clemson University () is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university near Clemson, South Carolina, United States. - The blue-shaded pattern denotes university property. This shows Clemson University is ''out ...

Early life and education

Cox was born in 1918 in

Belton, South Carolina Belton is a city in eastern Anderson County, South Carolina. The population was 4,134 at the 2010 census. History In 1845 a group was created to connect the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of South Carolina by rail to the existing rai ...

, about from Clemson. He enrolled at Clemson in 1935, and played

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

on the

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

. Upon graduating in 1939 with a degree in general science, Cox was convinced by coach

Jess Neely Jesse Claiborne Neely (January 4, 1898 – April 9, 1983) was an American football player, a baseball and football coach. He was head football coach at Southwestern University (now Rhodes College) from 1924 to 1927, at Clemson University fr ...

to return to graduate school and play one more year of football.

Career

Following the season, coach Neely left Clemson for

Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

, and Cox considered taking an assistant position there. Ultimately, incoming coach Frank Howard offered Cox a position as assistant coach and athletics business manager. After serving in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in the

Pacific Ocean theater of World War II The Pacific Ocean theater of World War II was a major theater of the Pacific War, the war between the Allies and the Empire of Japan. It included the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas (command). which included most of the Pacific Ocean and its isl ...

in 1942 & 1943, Cox returned to Clemson, working with the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps training program before resuming his previous position in the athletic department. Cox served as head baseball coach in 1945 and from 1948 to 1951, notching a career record of 70–48–1 and leading the team to a

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. Southern Conference College football, football teams c ...

regular season championship in 1951. In 1951, president Robert Franklin Poole moved Cox to a new position as assistant to the president and director of alumni affairs. Following a 1955 re-organization, he was promoted to Dean (later known as vice-president) of student affairs. As dean, Cox was the administration's liaison to the students during the school's transition from an all-male military college to a co-ed university in 1955, and through the peaceful integration of the school in 1963.

President of Clemson

In the 1980s, fallout from football recruiting and steroid scandals led to the resignation of president Bill Lee Atchley. Cox was named interim president by the board of trustees, effective July 1, 1985. His first actions as president were to officially place Atchely on sabbatical, and to remove Bill McLellan from his position as athletic director, in reaction to the athletic scandals. During Cox's presidency, the university broke ground on the

Strom Thurmond James Strom Thurmond Sr. (December 5, 1902 – June 26, 2003) was an American politician who represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to 2003. Before his 49 years as a senator, he served as the 103rd governor of South ...

Institute, conferred an honorary doctorate on Harvey Gantt, and implemented a plan to transfer a portion of athletic ticket revenue to academic scholarships. Cox was replaced with Max Lennon on March 1, 1986. He remained as assistant to the president, and retired the following year. He died in

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

, on June 28, 2006.

Family

Cox's son,

Walter T. Cox III Walter T. Cox III (born August 13, 1942) is an American lawyer who serves as a senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces from 1984 to 1999. Walter Thompson Cox III was born on August 13, 1942, in Anderson, South Car ...

, served as a judge on the

United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces (in case citations, C.A.A.F. or USCAAF) is an Article I court that exercises worldwide appellate jurisdiction over members of the United States Armed Forces on active duty and other persons ...

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Walter Thompson II 1918 births 2006 deaths Clemson Tigers football players Clemson Tigers football coaches Clemson Tigers baseball coaches Presidents of Clemson University People from Anderson County, South Carolina Players of American football from South Carolina Military personnel from South Carolina United States Army personnel of World War II