After 25 years with the Cardinal soccer program, former head coach Justin Fox is now starting a new coaching journey in Big Rapids.

Fox will be joining current Bulldog head coach Greg Henson and his staff as an assistant coach with the Ferris State women's program.

“Being at the point in my career where I've accomplished a lot at Big Rapids High School and just looking to see what the next chapter might be, Coach Henson was looking to add to the coaching footprint in the program and we had discussions,” Fox said.

Over the last decade, Fox registered a 111-85-8 mark wearing Cardinal colors on the sideline. He won two District 46 titles for Big Rapids in 2017 and 2021, as well reached the Regional 9 final in the 2017 campaign. The Cardinals also earned CSAA gold conference regular season titles in 2016 and 2017 and a conference tournament title in 2021 as head coach.

When asked about a favorite coaching memory, Fox mentioned that each team was special in its own way.

“Every team had its own identity and I worked with some good teams. The first district championship team in 2007 was special. A lot of kids have played for a long time and just being a part of those early camp days during my first few years of working with elementary school kids coming up through the program was special.”

Fox also had the unique opportunity to coach his son during the recent championship seasons.

“Working with my son and all his buddies that have gone through camps (together) for a long time was a lot of fun. Just knowing those kids more and having that emotional connection with them made it wonderful.”

The long time Cardinal skipper will be joining the Bulldogs following a 7-9-4 season this past fall. Ferris State recently reached the NCAA DII Semifinals in the 2022 season, falling to West Chester in Seattle after winning the Midwest Regional championship. Under Henson’s tenure, the Bulldogs won the GLIAC tournament title in 2021 as well as a regular season conference crown in 2020. The former Concordia-St. Paul coach won the GLIAC Coach of the Year award in 2021 and has had 26 All-GLIAC honorees in a Bulldog uniform.

“I think the knowledge that he brings in the discussions that we have and being able to work with someone with that level of experience is (great),” Fox said on working with Henson. “Looking at players coming in and seeing who we have, what positions they're in, and what’s something we want to do differently is a lot more planning behind the scenes. We'll talk ‘X's and O's’ and get out on the training pitch and get after it, so that part I am pretty comfortable with.”

While many coaches often have to travel long distances to make the jump to the collegiate level from high school, Fox’s unique opportunity at Ferris State will allow him to further his career while staying in the community he’s been a part of for several years.

“Having an opportunity to stay in town and have new opportunities is great. I can continue to raise our kids and have our family life in this community. While it's tough to give up the boy’s program, it's another opportunity for expanding my horizons and opening some doors to get some good experience working with some good coaches.”

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*Photo provided by Justin Fox.