Talawanda High School hired Larry Cox, a 21-year coaching veteran from Lakota West High School, to be the new head football coach.

Cox was the head coach of the Lakota Firebirds from 1997 until he stepped down in May of last year. At Lakota, he had an overall record of 114 wins and 103 losses, winning co-championships in the Greater Miami Conference in 2009 and 2013. His teams went to Division I playoffs in 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013 and 2014. In his final season at Lakota, the team went 2-8.  He did not coach during the 2018 season.

Several players coached by Cox at Lakota went on to play in the NFL, including Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks, Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly and former New York Jets fullback John Conner.

“He is someone who we believe will be able to get kids to come out to the football team to make us successful,” said Wes Cole, Talawanda’s athletic director. “He is a people person. He builds relationships with kids and that’s a big thing that we push for here at Talawanda.”

Cole said Talawanda is in talks with Cox over finding a teaching position at the high school as well as the coaching spot. He was a physical education teacher at Lakota.

Former Talawanda head coach J.D. Vonderheide was forced to resign after the team went 2-8 this past season.

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