Early Career
Cox was a naturally gifted sportsman who excelled at sports whilst growing up in Dampier, Western Australia. Played for Dampier Sharks.
His uncle George Michalczyk, a former Australian rules player himself, recommended Cox to the club he began his senior career with, East Perth.
Cox played colts for East Perth in 1999 and at the end of the season was invited to train with the West Coast Eagles in their pre-season. He impressed enough for him to be rookie-listed, however he struggled in pre-season training and was criticised for being slightly uncoordinated.
Meanwhile he played senior football for East Perth. He began the season fifth in the order of an impressive list of ruckmen, but by season's end he had impressed so much he earned a place as the first ruckman in their grand final team and collected a Simpson Medal for his efforts.
The Eagles then put him on their senior list and he made his AFL debut in 2001. Initially he showed few signs of his potential at that level. However, he was persisted with.
He is recognizable by his intimidating 204 cm and 107 kg frame, ranking among the top 10 tallest players in the AFL at the time of writing.
Read more about this topic: Dean Cox
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