I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we kind of have a fox theme going on around here. The header has a fox on it, the url has “fox” in it, and in the about page there’s some dumbass named Fox looking like an idiot. So, in that spirit, I’m going to run down the most notable people with the last name Fox in the history of the known universe. To be clear, it has to be the right spelling. So you won’t see Jimmie Foxx or Jamie Foxx even though they would have been most notable in their respective categories. I don’t have time for that poser shit.
Nellie Fox (Baseball)
Nellie was half of a dynamic double play combo of short people for the Chicago White Sox in the late 1950s and early 60s. He was a 12-time all-star and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, elected in 1997 by the Veteran’s Committee. He was the MVP of the American League in 1959 and finished in the top ten in MVP voting five other times. Pretty solid list of accomplishments for a 5’10”, 160 pound athlete. He gives hope to all slightly below average height dudes with the last name Fox everywhere. Most importantly, He was one of Rick Rizzs’ favorite players. When I was growing up, Rick always talked about him, helping pass the legend of the Fox to the next generation.
Michael J Fox (Actor)
Coincidentally, this is my uncle’s name, right down to the middle initial. The actor version of Michael J. Fox is best known for being Marty McFly in Back to the Future and its sequels. He rocked a Delorean like nobody’s business. He also did quite a bit of TV, getting his start on Family Ties. At least I think so. I’ve never seen that show, but it’s the first major thing on his IMDB page, so I’m going to roll with it. The only knock against the guy is he got all our hopes up for flying cars and it turns out that kind of technology is still out of our reach outside of JK Rowling’s imagination. I supposed I could’ve used Megan Fox as my actor, but she’s never been in anything good and she’s not a good actor. Think I pretty much covered that.
Tim Fox (Football)
I started out strong, but now we’re getting into the weaker Foxes nobody’s really heard of. Tim was a defensive back in the 70s and 80s who played for the New England Patriots as well as the San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Rams. From his stats, he seems like a solid player. He played four full seasons in a row at one point, which either speaks to his luck or durability. He made one Pro Bowl in 1980, and was named second team All-Pro in 1982. His mustache may have been spectacular, but his career was only average. The NFL was kind of light on Foxes, you guys.
Rick Fox (Basketball)
You might remember this guy. He played the baseball player in Holes. He was also a part of the three-peating Laker teams of the early 2000s with Shaq and Kobe. He might have been a small part, but at least he played a little bit. And he has three rings. That’s not bad. He managed to scratch out a 13 year career with the Lakers and Celtics. He only averaged above ten points a game four of those years, but that’s better than nothing. Rick’s legacy is still going strong with his inclusion on this list.
Jim/Greg Fox (Hockey)
Greg Fox (Left) and Jim Fox (Right)
You think the NFL was low on Foxes? The NHL is like five times worse. These two dudes were the best the Fox name had to offer. Somehow, there were guys who were worse. I know enough about hockey to know that neither of them were very good, but not enough to differentiate them. Greg was a defenseman who logged 12 seasons in the 70s and 80s. I guess his longevity speaks to something. He can’t have been that awful. Jim was a right-winger who played nine seasons, at one point leading the league in games played. What a stud. He did rack up 479 points in his storied career, but his +/- was -61. Not great, but I don’t know enough about hockey to decipher it completely. So I just wasted a few minutes of your time. Let’s move on.
Catherine Fox (Olympian)
There were actually a lot of Olympians with the last name of Fox, but most of them were British canoers, which is a little to boring for me, and hardly any won medals. That’s why I picked this American and double gold medalist in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Catherine was a swimmer, and both her golds came in relays, so she wasn’t the only one doing the work, but a gold’s a gold, and she’s got two of them. That’s more than I can say for all those British wankers.
Foxes (Musician)
This one’s a bit of a stretch, but she’s what came up when I typed relevant words into Google. I know I’m bending the name rule a little here, but she’s all I could come up with who’s at least kind of famous. Apparently, she’s won a Grammy. I don’t know whether we consider that a big deal nowdays, but she won one. For Best Dance Recording in 2013. Take that for what you will. The song’s called Clarity. It’s right here. Draw your own conclusions. Until I watched the video, I didn’t realize I knew the song, but I totally do! I actually kind of like it (don’t tell anyone). Chalk one up for random songs you listen to on the radio.
Lucius Fox (Fictional Character)
Batman’s gadget guy represents the fiction realm of foxes. The fact that he’s played by Morgan Freeman in the Dark Knight Trilogy enhances his awesomeness. I mean, this is the dude that built the freaking batmobile as well as all the cool gadgets that Batman uses to batman all around Gotham. He’s also the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, and runs it well enough to produce money for even more batmanning. Plus, as Neil Everett would say, he’s cool as the rule.
Vicente Fox (Politician)
A Fox was president! Of Mexico, but still. I don’t know if he was a good president. I’m not up on Mexican politics these days, or in 2000 when he was actually president.. Anyway, it’s not my place to pass judgement while knowing literally nothing, so I’m just going to say that it’s notable that he was president and leave it at that. There are a couple old timey British politicians named Fox, but I’m all about the here and now, so VF gets the nod.
Dishonorable Mention: Fox News
Y’all know why. Don’t think I really need to explain this one.