A Tribute to Mentor T.C. “Skip” Cox(3/22/42 – 5/10/2020)

Written by Dr. Kyle Smith
(Trainer 1979)

An effective mentor shows someone they are not alone, they are cared for, and they matter. For me, these words perfectly describe Skip Cox. He taught me a work ethic and without him, I would not be where I am today. Skip asked a lot from those of us who worked under him, but you knew that he never asked you to do something he would not do or had done himself. That kind of man garners your respect immediately, and you want nothing more than to make him proud of you. That is not only true for me, but also true for all of the people throughout the years who had the privilege of studying under him. He was strict, and I remember vividly his two favorite sayings… “it’s tough, but it’s fair,” and “if you don’t like it, here’s a road map and an apple.”

I will always remember two things about him. Skip was one of the brightest men I have known and his knowledge went far deeper than he would ever let you know; and, you would have thought he was alumni of Baylor University. His loyalty and devotion to this great university, as well as the coaches and athletes whom he served was remarkable. We have lost a legend but not in the sense that he was a famous person, although he was nationally known and widely respected in athletic training. More so, we lost a mentor who truly showed us that we mattered and that he cared. I have always thought the ultimate for us as Christians would be to model the life of Christ Jesus. I think Skip accomplished that for all of us who loved him. Perfect man? No. Genuine? None better. I owe him much more than I could ever repay.

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