Some would argue that earning any Olympic medal is a feat too difficult to top. That leaves many in their respective sports asking the question, “What do I do next?”
For American wrestler and 2016 Rio Olympic bronze medalist J’den Cox, the answer appears to move on to the challenge of the sport of football. Only he is going to do it by playing his final season as a graduate transfer in 2017 with the Missouri Tigers.
Cox announced the move in a press conference via Twitter:
Here it is – @SuperstarW14T on playing football @Mizzou @MizzouFootball pic.twitter.com/hroPqkKLXF
— Andrew Kauffman (@A_Kauff) September 1, 2016
It shouldn’t be surprising that Cox picked the Tigers for his one-year football experiment, as he is a wrestler for the university as we speak. As a wrestler for Mizzou, he is a two-time NCAA champion and a three-time All-American. That includes winning the championship in his weight class at this past season’s NCAA championship.
Oh, and did we mention he also happens to be a Columbia, Mo. native as well? See, it all fits together now.
Cox is no stranger to the game of football either, having played it at Columbia’s Hickman High School back in the day.
At 6-0, 189 pounds in the wrestling world, Cox is about as jacked as he is going to get. However, with a year to put on some weight, it may be very interesting to see what, if any, role he can play on the Mizzou defense in 2017.
Following that season of football, Cox has another plan in place — make the 2020 Olympic wrestling team and become a gold medal winner this time around. Lofty goals for a very impressive athlete indeed.
