Judges' Comments
	"His entry spans 60 years of Greenville sports and demonstrates his clear knowledge that sports reporting is not about games, it’s about people."
	"Seven Days"

In a college town in the South, few sports stories can be as compelling as recounting that perfect football season of long ago.

That’s what Rob Young did to capture his third Best of Cox award in two years. (The Greenville Daily Reflector writer was last year’s winner in both sports writing on deadline and sports writing non-deadline.)

As the day neared when the 1941 undefeated team would be honored at halftime of an East Carolina Pirates game, Young interviewed the old gridders for a Sunday special as they recalled their 7-0 season.

In that memorable season, they made Pirate history, defeating Tusculum, Portsmouth Naval Apprentices, Western Carolina, Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Erskine, Bergen and Belmont Abbey.

"The year, the games and those seven days return so easily," Young wrote. "In their minds, the gray and the wrinkles are replaced by boyish grins and strong bodies."

While pursuing his regular sports writing duties, Young spent about a year tracking down the living members of that team. He traveled around North Carolina and to Maryland and South Carolina for interviews.

"That was the enjoyable part for me," Young recalled.

Young is a native of Bethel, N.C. He graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in journalism and is in his third year at the Daily Reflector.