Austin Box remembered by former OU teammates as ‘a lot of fun,' ‘someone you could trust'

Box, Oklahoma's starting middle linebacker who just received his college degree in criminology and sociology last weekend, died Thursday. He was found unconscious by friend J.T. Cobble, who told authorities he feared Box had overdosed on “pain pills.”

Cherokee Ballard, spokeswoman for the state medical examiner's office, said Friday the office had begun an autopsy on Box, but official cause of death won't be determined for days.

Funeral services have been set for 11 a.m. Friday at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Box's hometown of Enid. The burial will take place at Enid's Memorial Park Cemetery.

Gerald McCoy was driving home after working out with other former Sooners now in the NFL when the news reached him.

“I got a text from one of my friends that said, ‘Did you hear about Austin Box?'” said McCoy, a teammate of Box's from 2007-09, and now a defensive tackle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “I typed his name on Google, and it said they found him unresponsive at his house and flew him to a hospital. First thing I did was immediately start praying, because unresponsive was already not good. Once I started praying, I simply said, ‘God, just let him wake up, let him respond, let his heart beat, something.'

“When they finally said what they said, it was like shock. I watched the guy when he got recruited, I played with him. We weren't necessarily the closest of friends, but he was my brother because we were teammates.

“He was a great guy to be around, a lot of fun.”

Atlanta Falcons linebacker Curtis Lofton, on the team with Box in 2007, took pride in watching another native Oklahoman tear it up in practice.

“What I remember is he came in as a freshman, and he could run like the wind. He was running with the defensive backs. He was really strong, too,” Lofton said. “I remember thinking, ‘This guy can't be a freshman.' It made me proud. I'm from Kingfisher, and he was from Enid. We had that Oklahoma pride.

“Austin was just a hilarious, hilarious guy. Always made you laugh, a fun guy to be around.”

Box had his teammates laughing hysterically one afternoon during practice.

“One day, Coach V (Venables) was real hot, Box had messed up. Coach V was trying to push his buttons, get Box angry, looking to see if he had that mean streak,” recalled former OU linebacker Keenan Clayton, now with the Philadelphia Eagles. “While Coach V demonstrated how to shed an offensive lineman, Box shed Coach V to the ground. It surprised everybody. It went silent. Then everybody cried laughing. It was one of the most hysterical things to come out of practice. The highlight of practice for a few months. We never let Coach V live that one down.