Earl Cox, who played a pivotal role in local sports coverage for over five decades, recently decided to call it quits, a retirement that almost went unnoticed unless one subscribes to the Voice-Tribune in St. Matthews.

Cox, who is 83, was the former sports editor at the Courier-Journal where he had worked for 33 years. He retired from the C-J in 1978, joining the St. Matthews weekly newspaper for another 25 years.

A native of Irvine, Ky., Cox had a huge affinity for University of Kentucky athletics and the sports pages of the C-J and the Voice Tribune often reflected his enthusiasm for the Lexington school. Not that he ever shorted the University of Louisville, Cox equally committed to in-depth coverage of UofL sports.

Earl Cox
Earl Cox

During his tenure and afterwards, the C-J has always been harshly criticized by fans of both schools for favoring the rivals. Visitors from another planet could easily have surmised that Louisville was home of two universities. Personally, I’ve always believed the hometown university should be given precedence over a school 70 miles away. But that’s what you get when hire a journalist from rural Kentucky overseeing sports for a metro newspaper.

Nevertheless, having worked under him at the C-J for three years, I always respected him as a professional and as a human being. He was demanding but fair, a good boss and an insightful journalist, and he takes with him a huge chunk of local and state sports history. With all the sports talk on local radio, it’s somewhat surprising none of them ever call him.

In one of his final columns at the Voice-Tribune, Cox recognized UofL’s incredible accomplishments:

Is there no end to the high-riding sports streak that the University of Louisville is on?

Let us count the glories:

1. A major bowl victory under football coach Charlie Strong.

2. Many of the football stars are returning for at least one more season, headed by top-ranked quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

3. National championship games for both men and women in basketball.

4. Nationally ranked men’s baseball and women’s softball teams.

5. Acceptance by the Atlantic Coast Conference, a tremendous boost for the Cardinals in football, and the basketball Cardinals will get to battle the likes of Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. And Syracuse is going with UofL into the ACC.

Just imagine the Cardinals clashing each season with Coach K’s Blue Devils in the KFC Yum! Center.

Happy retirement, Earl. You’ve earned it.

Share this

By Charlie Springer

Charlie Springer is a former Louisville editor and sportswriter, a public affairs consultant, a UofL grad and longtime fan.