Here at Our American Stories, we often look for the tales that run deeper than the headlines. Everyone remembers the incredible 1980 US Olympic hockey team, famously known as the ‘Miracle on Ice,’ when a group of young American players defied all odds to win gold. It was a moment of national pride, a true underdog victory that captured hearts across the country and became legendary in sports history. But behind every team that achieves greatness, there are often powerful, untold personal stories of individuals whose journey took a different path, yet still shaped their lives in profound ways.
Today, we’re bringing you one such story, a perspective many have never heard, from a man whose Olympic dream came heartbreakingly close. Ralph Cox was a talented college hockey star, a prolific goal scorer whose dedication brought him right to the cusp of joining that legendary 1980 squad. In one of the most emotional moments in US Olympic history, he was the very last player cut by coach Herb Brooks. This isn’t just a story about a setback; it’s a hopeful journey about resilience, finding purpose after disappointment, and how even the toughest moments can open doors to new beginnings. Join us as Ralph Cox shares his powerful memories, offering a unique look at courage and character that truly defines Our American Stories.
📖 Read the Episode Transcript
Speaker 1: This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, and we tell stories about everything here on this show, from the arts to sports, and from business to history and everything in between, including your stories. We’ve told the story of both the 1980 U.S. Olympics ‘Miracle on Ice’ story and the captain of that team story, Miaica Ruzione. Here’s Greg Hengelo with an alternative look at that miraculous tale.
00:00:34
Speaker 2: In his book ‘Win at Losing: How Our Biggest Setbacks Can Lead to Our Greatest Gains,’ Sam Wyman explores how failure can often be beneficial. Among the people he profiles is Ralph Cox, a former college hockey star who was squeezed out of arguably the greatest moment in sports history. What you might know about Ralph comes from the 2004 Disney movie ‘Miracle,’ which is the true story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that upset the powerful Soviets en route to the gold medal at Lake Placid. One of the movie’s bit characters is a very likable forward with a thick Boston accent. Ralph Cox had shaky hair and a handlebar mustache, and in college hockey he was a prolific goal scorer. The problem is, Cox also suffered an ankle injury in the run-up to the games, and it continued to nag him. As the Americans were paring down their roster for Lake Placid. In one of the movie’s most emotional scenes, U.S. coach Herb Brooks calls Cox into his office to relay the news that he had to make one more cut, and Cox was it. Now, here’s Ralph Cox picking up the story. Following the last day of training camp in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
00:01:57
Speaker 3: People in Minneapolis were going to give us a going-away bank for, you know, living there. We all lived in Minneapolis, and that’s where we trained. I get to the hotel where the banquet hall is, and Herb wants to see me, and someone sits downstairs in a small conference room, a small banquet hall. And because I’m walking down the stairs, I’m realizing that this is probably the moment. Like I knew her even though no one had said it. I really thought I was going to be on the team. I really thought I would be on the team and go to Lake Placid. I sensed that he was calling me to tell me otherwise, so, you know, you know, I tell you, I stayed outside the room for about the doors closed for a good five minutes, just trying to catch my breath, get my composure because it was a very emotional moment. It was very, very hard to think about that possibility, and so your emotions are running high. And I opened the door, finally. I just said to myself, you know, have some courage to take a breath, go in there and see what’s going on. And when I walked in, Herb was pacing back and forth in the room. When he saw me come in, he just looked at me and he, well, which I’d never seen that happen. I mean, Herb was a very powerful guy, and it took him a few minutes to be able to catch his breath or get his composure, and he tried to talk. And again, he’s a little emotional, and at that moment, for some reason, I was extremely calm and in control. And I looked at him and I said, ‘You know, hey, it’s going to be all right.’ And he sort of smiled at me a little bit and he said, ‘You know, I’ve really enjoyed having you on the team. You’ve been great to have around, your enthusiasm and your passion for the game. I think he’s one of the best goalscorers I’ve ever seen or coached.’ He said, ‘I think your injury has really slowed you down. It’s only been five months. We’re going to be playing on a big ice surface, and I have to make one of the toughest, if not the toughest coaviching decision I’ve ever had to make, Ralph, and I’m not going to be able to take you.’ And again, he welled up and stood up and walked around the room a little bit, and, you know, he sat back down again and we talked a little bit about about the Olympics. I told him it was always a dream that I had to actually go there. I said, ‘I really have a—I don’t know where this came from,’ but I said, ‘I really have a funny feeling about this team that you’re gonna have a real shot at a medal.’ And I said, ‘I think you can really win the gold medal.’ And he started laughing and he said, ‘Jeez, I’ll be happy if we just have a good showing. There’s a lot of people are not sure about that.’ And he said, ‘And it’s nice to see you feel like that.’ You know, he said, ‘If I can ever do anything for you ever in your career,’ he said, ‘it’d be a pleasure to be able to do that.’ And what I didn’t know at that time, and I didn’t know for almost ten years, but it made sense after the ten years because it was an article and Sports Illustrated and the author of the article asked her, you know, at that moment, when the final seconds ticked down and you knew you were going to win the gold medal, what were you thinking about? And he said, ‘I was thinking about Ralph Cox.’ And I’m reading the article, and I’m thinking, that’s unusual. And then it went on to talk about Herb being the last cut in the 1960 Olympics, right before the Olympics, and just the ironic moment that, you know, he, when he was probably letting me go, he was thinking of himself. I knew it was hard for him, and it was obviously a crushing moment for me as an athlete. And I remember when I left there, you know, I thought my life was over. This was going to be it, you know, it would never be the same, and my life would be very different, which it has been. And it took a few years to sort of adjust who you are in the world because you think, you know, at that point as an athlete, you think yourself as a hockey player. But it really forced me and helped me think about my in the world around me in a much, I think, a much healthier way, in a good way. And I went on, I had a great career playing in Europe and, you know, a lot of good moments in hockey and a lot of good moments working with the Penguins with Herb. And people used to tell me, ‘Don’t you hate her Brooks?’ Not for a second. I enjoyed him as a coach. He was a phenomenal hockey coach, you know, and I don’t think people need me to say that, but he was the best bench coach that I think most of us on that team ever had. And, you know, it wasn’t easy, I think, melding that team together. We were all young and enthusiastic guys, and all of us were the captains of our team. We all had big egos, and we all wanted to play, and we thought we should be playing all the time, killing penalties on the power play. And, you know, the guys from the East. Really, that’s true. And the guys from the West. They had this culture clash, and he had a way of bringing us together and he certainly was as good as coach as I’ve ever played for.
00:06:56
Speaker 2: Ralph Cox was the ECAC Player of the Year in 1970 none, and he played professionally in Europe before joining the Pittsburgh Penguins. Is a scout, winning two Stanley Cups. He currently has a successful real estate business and still gets together with the players from the 1980 team and.
00:07:17
Speaker 1: Great job on that, Greg. The story of Ralph Cox here on Our American Stories. Folks, if you love the great American stories we tell and love America like we do, we’re asking you to become a part of the Our American Stories family. If you agree that America is a good and great country, please make a donation. A monthly gift of $17.76 is fast becoming a favorite option for supporters. Go to OurAmericanStories.com now and go to the Donate button and help us keep the great American stories coming. That’s OurAmericanStories.com.
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