Alief Elsik (Houston) soccer coach Vincenzo Cox has been voted the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Boys Coach of the Year.
Cox was named USA TODAY’s ALL-USA Boys Soccer Coach of the Year after leading Elsik to a 25-0-2 season and the program’s first ever state title, in Texas’ demanding 6A class. The former University of Houston track and field standout, who dabbled in the 1996 U.S. Olympic trials and tried out for several MLS teams before turning to coaching, has built a powerhouse at the multinational high school in the Alief region of Houston. Cox has a 10-year coaching record of 198-36-25, and the program is 86-8-5 over the past four seasons.
Of the 78,505 votes cast, Cox earned 43,289, good enough for just over 55 percent of the vote. He edged out Boston College High lacrosse coach Steve Lydon, who had the lead early in the voting but finished with 42 percent of the vote at 33,518 votes. The rest of the field combined for less than two percent of the vote, at just 1,698 total.
The other coaches included in the poll, which was comprised of the nine ALL-USA boys coaches of the year in the 2017-18 season, were: Montverde Academy (Fla.) basketball coach Kevin Boyle, Calallen (Texas) baseball coach Steve Chapman, Mater Dei (Santa Ana, Calif.) football coach Bruce Rollinson, Grand Forks (N.D.) Central coach Grant Paranica, Blair Academy (N.J.) wrestling coach Brian Antonelli, Saline (Mich.) track and field coach Al Leslie, and Mountain Brook (Ala.) golf coach Alex Lockett.