By J.T. Keith
Five seconds left in the game. Georgia Bulldogs basketball coach Mark Fox sat on the bench, removed his glasses, and held his head in his hands. The fans did not know for sure what they were witnessing as Fox began to cry uncontrollably.
Sports fans across America only could guess the range of emotions going through Fox’s mind at that moment. Maybe it was a release of pent-up grief and a way to pay tribute to the man he admired and emulated.
His father Raymond Lewis Fox, 78, a former basketball coach, died from lung cancer a week earlier. That same night, Mark Fox’s team was being routed by George Washington University.
Four seconds. Maybe it was because he had lost his best friend, the man he had often talked to about basketball strategies and whom he had celebrated making it as the head coach of the University of Georgia’s basketball team.
Three seconds. Maybe he was thinking about all the times they had spent working on his game in the driveway, shooting jump shot after jump shot. Or the times he tagged along with his father to the gym for practice. It could have been that he was remembering the times they shared each other’s tough losses and shared in each other’s victories.
In the end, all Mark Fox ever wanted was to be a basketball coach. Fox played basketball for the Greyhounds and graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1991.
Two seconds. Maybe it was knowing that his father would never get to see his daughter walk down the aisle for her graduation or wedding. Maybe it was knowing that his dad would never be able to tell him the things he was waiting to say until the time was right.
One second. His team was about to upset No. 21 Missouri at Mizzou Arena. Maybe it was him realizing all the things his father had taught him about doing things the right way no matter how long it takes. Maybe during those final five seconds it was a way for Fox to pay tribute to his father and say goodbye.
“My father was a coach and educator who believed in coaching and in education in life, that there’s a right way to do things,” Fox said. “I never really got a chance to grieve the way I should have. I flew in for the funeral, and flew back, and I was back at work.”
The night Fox’s Bulldogs defeated the Missouri Tigers was a turning point in their season. The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 20-14 record and made it to the National Invitational Tournament before losing to Louisiana Tech 79-71 on March 22.
The Chase caught up with Coach Fox earlier this season.
Chase: Who was the coach when you played here?
Fox: I played for Earl Diddle, and I still golf with him. He was a good coach and was trying to reestablish the program at the time.
Chase: How long did you play here?
Fox: I really only played one year. I got hurt and had surgery the day before practiced started my senior year. I spent most of my senior year with an injury. Even so, it was still a good experience.
Chase: Are there any coaches who made a lasting impact on you that you think of today?
Fox: Jack Scott, God bless him, he’s such a good man. I really enjoyed him. I’m glad he is still there.
Chase: Do you have any memories of your coaching?
Fox: When I was at Nevada University, and Dana Altman was the head coach at Creighton University, we met in the NCAA tournament game. It was the first time two Eastern New Mexico University grads were coaching against each other in a tournament game. [Nevada defeated Creighton 77-71.]
Chase: Were there any classes that you particularly liked?
Fox: I took a Biomechanics and a Kinesiology course that I liked really well. Those things helped me in my profession. They really do. I remember an Education course that I took that—they had us map out what we wanted to be. I started with the pyramid and worked backwards. I put I wanted to be a head coach by the time I was 35. Strangely enough, the steps weren’t exactly as I had drawn them out; however, I think back to that activity. Yeah, ENMU prepared me well.
Chase: What advice would you give to college athletes?
Fox: Athletically, there are very few athletes who can make it in the pros and will earn enough money to live off of for the rest of their lives. They need to function for the next 40-50 years of their lives. I highly recommend they get the best education they can.
Chase: What about people who want to be coaches?
Fox: It’s a tough life; it’s moving every couple of years. It is dependent on 18-19 year-olds doing what you tell them to do. I have been fortunate enough to have some success, but that doesn’t mean that every day is rosy. It is a very rewarding profession if you want to endure bumps along the way.