Johnny Cox was born November 1, 1936 in Hazard, Kentucky. He was an All-American and one of the top guns on the “Fiddlin' Five” team that captured the 1958 NCAA championship. The best Eastern Kentucky Mountain “Wildcat” since Wah Wah Jones. Lean, leathery and tough as hickory, Cox possessed a wide variety of offensive weapons, most notably a deadly hook shot. He came to UK after leading Hazard to the 1955 state championsip and was an instant force, averaging a tean-high 19.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore. He scored 34 points in a win over Maryland, and had a 32-point, 23-rebound effort against Tennessee. He scored 25 against Houston in the UKIT final. He had 32 against Loyola of Chicago, 28 against Mississippi State and 26 against Florida. He also led the Cats with 28 in their 98-92 NCAA tourney win over Pittsburgh. He averaged 14.9 points and 12.6 rebounds for the “Fiddlin' Five.” Twice hit for 23 during the regular season. Had 22 points and 13 rebounds in UK's 61-60 semi-final win over Temple then followed that up with a 24-point effort in the 84-72 title-clinching victory over Seattle. In that game, Cox scored 16 of his points in the final 15 minutes. His performance earned him a spot on the all-tourney team. As a senior, Cox averaged 17.9 points and 12.2 rebounds for an unheralded UK team that ended up with a sparkling 24-3 record and a No. 2 ranking in the final polls. He kicked off his final season by ripping Florida State for 27 points in a 91-68 UK win. His 38-point, 17-rebound effort in a 69-56 win over Tennessee helped secure the Cats a spot in the NCAA tourney. He joined Jerry West, Oscar Robertson, Bob Boozer and Bailey Howell on the AP's All-America first team. He ended his career with 1,461 points and 1,004 rebounds, making him one of only four Wildcats at that time to reach the 1,000 mark in those areas (Dan Issel, Frank Ramsey and Cliff Hagan are the others). He was an All-SEC pick all three seasons he played and played several years in the pros before moving back to Hazard.
Source: Kentucky Basketball Encyclopedia By Tom Wallace, Sports Publishing Inc
Walter Cornett, of Glendale, Kentucky, is the owner and operator of Walter's Wildcat World. He founded WildcatWorld.com in 1998 making it one of the oldest Kentucky basketball fan sites in operation today.