Wright resigns, TJ Cox named men’s tennis coach

INDIANOLA, Iowa – Simpson College announced Tuesday the hiring of TJ Cox as the school's head men's tennis coach.

Cox replaces Bill Wright, who resigned after going 6-36 in two seasons with the Storm.

Cox currently serves as a Tennis Teaching Pro at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club, a position he has held for the past 10 years. There, he works with players of all skill sets, ranging from beginners to competitive collegiate athletes.

Cox is no stranger to the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC), spending two seasons at Central College. While in Pella, he led the program to a conference team title and a trip to the NCAA Championships.

"We are very pleased to have TJ Cox leading our men's tennis program," Athletics Director John Sirianni said. "TJ was a fantastic student-athlete in college and knows what it takes to compete in the Iowa Conference. We are confident that his experience playing and teaching the game of tennis will help our program compete at the highest level."

Cox transferred to Central for the 2000 season after a two-year stint at NCAA Division II Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. At Central, Cox earned all-conference honors in doubles as a junior and finished second in the league doubles tournament, helping Central win the Iowa Conference team title in 2000. The next season Cox captained the Dutch to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.

Cox still holds Central records for the highest doubles winning percentage in a season (.870, 20-3) and a career (.809, 38-9).

"I am very excited for the opportunity to coach at Simpson," Cox said. "I have strong ties to the Iowa Conference and believe this program has what it takes to be successful. I'm looking forward to meeting the team and getting the season started."

Cox is a 1997 graduate of West Des Moines Valley High School, where he played for two state tournament teams, including a state runner-up finish in 1996. He graduated from Central in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and earned a master's degree in counseling from Drake University in 2008.

He currently serves as the guidance counselor at Nodaway Valley High School in Greefield, Iowa. Cox and his fiancé, Carlyn, reside in Indianola.