We received the unfortunate news on Thursday afternoon that former Vikings kicker Fred Cox passed away.
Cox was 80 years old.
He played 15 seasons with the Vikings from 1963-1977. He was an All-Pro in 1969 and made the Pro Bowl in 1970. He was part of all four of Minnesota’s Super Bowl runs.
Cox was originally drafted as a running back but ultimately switched to kicker after injuring his back.
He ranks first all-time in team scoring with 1,365 total points. Nobody is going to touch that mark anytime soon. The next active player behind Cox is tight end Kyle Rudolph and his 280 points.
Many people also don’t know that Cox was the inventor of the Nerf football.
You’d be hard-pressed to find many people who have impacted the game on and off the field as much as Cox did.
We are saddened by the passing of legendary @Vikings kicker Fred Cox.
The NERF football he invented will forever be apart of our childhood memories. pic.twitter.com/vbLmJr6wke
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) November 21, 2019
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Cox family.