SUNY Brockport football Defensive Coordinator Mike Fox has announced he is stepping away from coaching football effective January 16, to spend more time with his family and pursue opportunities outside of coaching. A national search for his replacement will begin immediately.

Fox concludes a remarkable 10-year tenure with the Golden Eagles after joining the staff ahead of the 2016 season. During his decade on campus, Brockport's defense emerged as one of the most dominant units in NCAA Division III, earning widespread conference and national recognition and helping power the program to unprecedented success. Brockport has advanced to postseason play in nine consecutive seasons and during his 10 years in the green and gold, the Golden Eagles have compiled a 78-25 overall record and a 47-13 ledger in Empire 8 Conference play.

"I could not have asked to work for a better head coach and be surrounded by a more talented staff," said Fox. "These players made my job easy coming to work every day, and it was their hard work that made our collective success possible."

A Decade of Defensive Excellence
Since Fox's arrival, Brockport's defense consistently ranked among the nation's elite, highlighted by his selection as National Defensive Coordinator of the Year following the 2018 season. Fox's aggressive, blitz-heavy scheme became a calling card nationally and across the Empire 8 Conference, where Brockport led the league in rushing defense for 10 consecutive seasons.

"Mike has had an incredible impact on Brockport Football, both on and off the field," said Head Coach Jason Mangone. "His defensive leadership helped elevate our program to a national level, but more importantly, his commitment to mentoring and developing our student-athletes set the standard for what we want Brockport Football to represent. We are extremely grateful for everything Mike has given to this program and wish him and his family nothing but success moving forward."

Leading Student-Athletes to Success
Just as impactful as the numbers was Fox's mentorship of student-athletes. During his time at Brockport as over 20 defensive players earned all-region honors and six defensive players were named All-Americans. Brockport produced the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 and 2023, along with conference Rookie of the Year honorees in 2018, 2019, and 2022 and 2024.

In 2023 alone, Fox coached the Empire 8 and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, a consensus First-Team All-American, two all-region selections, three All-ECAC honorees, and seven additional All-Empire 8 performers.

Championship Pedigree
Fox's defenses were central to Brockport's sustained championship run. The Golden Eagles captured three consecutive Empire 8 titles, earned three straight NCAA Division III Championship berths, and rattled off eight straight wins during the most recent title season—highlighted by a memorable overtime comeback victory over nationally ranked Cortland. Brockport advanced to the NCAA second round in three straight seasons and reached the national semifinals in 2017, the best finish in program history.

National Recognition
The 2018 season stands among the finest defensive campaigns in Division III history. Brockport:

• Led all levels of college football (FBS, FCS, D-II, D-III) in rushing defense
• Held opponents to negative rushing yards through 11 of 12 games

That season produced multiple All-Americans across AFCA, AP, and D3football.com honors and cemented Fox's reputation as one of the premier defensive minds in the country.

A Distinguished Coaching & Playing Career
Prior to Brockport, Fox spent 12 seasons at St. John Fisher College, serving eight years as Defensive Coordinator and helping lead the Cardinals to six conference titles and five NCAA playoff appearances. A 2005 Fisher graduate, Fox was himself a standout student-athlete—a two-time All-American linebacker whose 478 career tackles ranked third all-time in NCAA Division III history. He was inducted into the St. John Fisher Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014.