Raphael Cox is entering his second season as an assistant with the Aztecs. A former Pac-12 standout and MLS Cup champion, Cox spent his previous three years as an assistant at his alma mater, the University of Washington.
In his Cox's first year on The Mesa, SDSU earned results at Stanford and Oregon State for the first time in 10 years and also had a stretch where they earned results against three top 10 teams in a two-week span, which hadn’t been done since the 1987 team’s run to the national championship game. Hopkins saw CJ Fodrey take home Top Drawer Soccer’s National Freshman of the Year and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors. Fodrey. who was drafted No. 13 overall by Austin FC in the MLS SuperDraft, was one of five Aztecs to sign a professional contract after the season, believed to be the most in program history.
“After a thorough review of the candidates, Raphael rose to the top as our preferred hire,” Coach Hopkins explained upon on his hire. “Raphael has demonstrated a great ability to build and install a winning culture during his time at the University of Washington, which culminated in 2021 when they achieved a No. 1 ranking and advanced to the national championship game. I feel that Rapha will add an experienced, mature voice to our coaching staff & will help push our coaching processes & players to a higher level. Moreover, Raphael believes in the vision and mission I have for the SDSU program to prepare our student-athletes for life after college by holding them to the highest standards in the classroom, in the community and on the field.”
While Cox was at UW, the Huskies went 47-10-2 and 21-6-2 in Pac-12 play while advancing to two Elite Eights and one national championship game. During his time in Seattle, he coached three All-Americans (Dylan Teves, Charlie Ostrem and Ryan Sailor) and saw the Huskies garner 11 United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region honorees.
“I feel extremely fortunate for the opportunity to remain in the Pac-12 and become part of the Aztec community,” Cox said when hired. “I’m excited to work with Coach Hopkins, his staff and our student-athletes here at SDSU. I have watched from across the sideline over the last few seasons and been impressed by how quickly Coach Hopkins has made such a positive impact on this program. Throughout the interview process, I felt the staff’s passion for developing student-athletes that will compete and succeed in life, not just on the soccer field. That’s a passion I share, and I cannot wait to get started. I believe my experience from playing and coaching in this conference will help bring the competitive edge needed to stay ahead of our opponents.”
Cox got his start in coaching for the Tacoma Stars of the MASL, serving as the club’s Academy Director while still playing. For the Stars, he scored 29 goals in 48 matches. During that time, he also was as an assistant at Highline Community College, who won an NWAC title in 2017. Cox was then named the head coach at Stadium High School (2017-19), his alma mater.
Cox started his collegiate career at Highline CC, where he won a NWAC title in 2004. He then transferred to UW (2006-08) where he was a two-time All-Pac-12 selection and led the Huskies with 20 points in 2008. Following his time at UW, he was drafted by Real Salt Lake in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, who won the MLS Cup in his first year with the squad. Cox played with several NASL and USL teams from 2011-15 including the Tampa Bay Rowdies, where he won an NASL Title in 2012.
Cox graduated from UW with a bachelor's degree in sociology.
In his Cox's first year on The Mesa, SDSU earned results at Stanford and Oregon State for the first time in 10 years and also had a stretch where they earned results against three top 10 teams in a two-week span, which hadn’t been done since the 1987 team’s run to the national championship game. Hopkins saw CJ Fodrey take home Top Drawer Soccer’s National Freshman of the Year and Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors. Fodrey. who was drafted No. 13 overall by Austin FC in the MLS SuperDraft, was one of five Aztecs to sign a professional contract after the season, believed to be the most in program history.
“After a thorough review of the candidates, Raphael rose to the top as our preferred hire,” Coach Hopkins explained upon on his hire. “Raphael has demonstrated a great ability to build and install a winning culture during his time at the University of Washington, which culminated in 2021 when they achieved a No. 1 ranking and advanced to the national championship game. I feel that Rapha will add an experienced, mature voice to our coaching staff & will help push our coaching processes & players to a higher level. Moreover, Raphael believes in the vision and mission I have for the SDSU program to prepare our student-athletes for life after college by holding them to the highest standards in the classroom, in the community and on the field.”
While Cox was at UW, the Huskies went 47-10-2 and 21-6-2 in Pac-12 play while advancing to two Elite Eights and one national championship game. During his time in Seattle, he coached three All-Americans (Dylan Teves, Charlie Ostrem and Ryan Sailor) and saw the Huskies garner 11 United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region honorees.
“I feel extremely fortunate for the opportunity to remain in the Pac-12 and become part of the Aztec community,” Cox said when hired. “I’m excited to work with Coach Hopkins, his staff and our student-athletes here at SDSU. I have watched from across the sideline over the last few seasons and been impressed by how quickly Coach Hopkins has made such a positive impact on this program. Throughout the interview process, I felt the staff’s passion for developing student-athletes that will compete and succeed in life, not just on the soccer field. That’s a passion I share, and I cannot wait to get started. I believe my experience from playing and coaching in this conference will help bring the competitive edge needed to stay ahead of our opponents.”
Cox got his start in coaching for the Tacoma Stars of the MASL, serving as the club’s Academy Director while still playing. For the Stars, he scored 29 goals in 48 matches. During that time, he also was as an assistant at Highline Community College, who won an NWAC title in 2017. Cox was then named the head coach at Stadium High School (2017-19), his alma mater.
Cox started his collegiate career at Highline CC, where he won a NWAC title in 2004. He then transferred to UW (2006-08) where he was a two-time All-Pac-12 selection and led the Huskies with 20 points in 2008. Following his time at UW, he was drafted by Real Salt Lake in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft, who won the MLS Cup in his first year with the squad. Cox played with several NASL and USL teams from 2011-15 including the Tampa Bay Rowdies, where he won an NASL Title in 2012.
Cox graduated from UW with a bachelor's degree in sociology.