Forgive Don Cox if tonight he feels a bit like deja vu all over again.  It was only a year ago that Cox was honored by the Illinois USSSA Hall of Fame for his participation on the 1976 World B Champion Forest Hills Lane's team.

This year, Don will stand on the podium alone to be honored for the whole of his remarkable career as an infielder and pitcher with teams such as MA, Forest Hills, Bullard's, the Stars, Schlichting Excavating, and Miller Transportation.  He joins fellow Forest Hills teammates Clancy Horn (1996) and Rod Shives (1999) in the Illinois USSSA Hall in the player category.

Don Cox began playing softball back in 1961, following an exceptional high school as a pole vaulter, as well as a baseball and basketball player in Dupo, Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis.  At this time the Rockford area had few facilities, and Cox had to be satisfied with a 14 to 16 game season. By 1969 though, he had hooked up with manager Paul Bell, who was putting together a future power house squad.  From 1970 through 1972, the team compiled a 233-41 record.

Then, starting with RMA in 1974 and ending with Little Caeser's in 1988, Don Compiled a 867 and 207 pitching record competing against top tournament teams in Class A and B.  Over that same 15 year period, he was 48-26 in USSSA Divisional play.  Offensively, he compiled a lifetime .485 average. Cox's hurling feats include a no-hitter in 1986 against the Wisconsin state champs.

He came close on many other occasions, throwing at least a dozen one-hitters, including the first one-hitter ever hurled at Forest Hills Diamonds.

"I'm a little embarrassed, because I consider myself a team player," says Cox of his selection. "Any individual (accolades) are from begin part of a team."

Some of Cox's favorite memories are of playing in front of packed stands of cheering fans in the seventies. But most of all, he enjoyed being part of a team.  He is especially proud of the many people he competed with over the years, noting (our) teams played as teams.  In all my years, I don't recall hearing more than a handful of cross words.

As talented as he was physically, Cox was just as mentally tough.  When he was 25, he suffered serious injuries, including damage to his throwing arm, in a motor cycle wreck that threatened his softball career.  Undaunted, he practiced throwing with his other arm all winter against a box in the basement, and played the entire 1966 season left-handed as an outfielder.  As usual, Cox was rather unimpressed with that accomplishment saying, "if you love the game, you can kinda teach yourself to do anything."

In the 1976, Cox helped lead Forest Hillsto the USSSA B World title, giving up only three extra base hits.  That same year, he was MVP of the Miller Lite Open in Milwaukee, Wis. was named All-State and All-World.  In 1982, he was All-Tournament in the USSSA A Divisional.

From 1989 through 1994, Don wrapped up a 21-year USSSA career, and 33 years in all, with the Jungle Jim's team in Rockford Park District leagues, pitching all their games and going 63-7.