Cindy McConkey Cox, PR exec and groundbreaking sports reporter, dies after cancer battle

The aggressive cancer that took Cindy McConkey Cox’s life was a shock, especially since she was known for her healthy lifestyle.

UPDATE: Funeral arrangements have been announce. Please see the obituary.

But the courage and determination with which she faced cancer was no surprise to anyone who knew Mrs. McConkey Cox personally or professionally.

Mrs. McConkey Cox, 57, died Thursday morning after more than four years spent battling the rare biliary liver cancer and finding – and appreciating – her “new normal.”

That included her work as chief operating and marketing officer for Random Acts of Flowers. She went to work for the nonprofit in 2016. She'd retired from her job as senior vice president of corporate communications for Scripps Networks Interactive at the end of 2014, after her 2013 cancer diagnosis.

“Cindy was a guiding light in our organization sincce her first day,” said Random Acts of Flowers founder and CEO Larsen Jay. “Within our organization, she was known as a brilliant communicator, a strategic thinker, and someone who always put others before herself. Thoughtful, warm and ‘one tough cookie’ is how her closest friends describe Cindy.”

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Before joining Scripps Networks, Mrs. McConkey Cox spent more than 14 years with Ackermann Public Relations and Marketing, where she was executive vice president.

“Like so many of us, she worked hard to balance her career with raising two daughters, and she excelled at both,” said Amy Nolan, vice president of public policy for the Knoxville Chamber. “I am so happy that she got to enjoy seeing them as young mothers themselves and welcome her grandsons into the family."

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Nolan described Mrs. McConkey Cox as “a competitor.”

“She wanted to excel at everything she did,” Nolan said. “Despite all her professional success in public relations, I think the job that she really had a soft spot for was serving as one of the first female sportswriters at USA Today.”

Immediately after graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, Mrs. McConkey Cox went to work in the sports department for then-morning daily newspaper the Knoxville Journal. She was the first female reporter to cover the UT football team, Bud Ford, UT’s former sports information director, said Thursday.

Her work earned her a reputation for fairness and toughness. While male reporters were allowed locker room access, Mrs. McConkey Cox wasn’t. Ford recalled he’d bring players to to be interviewed outside the Neyland Stadium locker room, or she’d grab athletes as they walked to or from it.

Later, when Neyland football dressing facilities were expanded, an interview room was built, Ford said. All interviews were moved there to level the field for male and female reporters.

“When I think about Cindy, I remember her aggressiveness and courage as a reporter," said Thomas O'Toole, now an assistant sports editor for USA Today who covered sports for the Knoxville News Sentinel when Mrs. McConkey Cox worked for the Journal.

"She was a pioneer in the male-dominated world of Southeastern Conference beat reporters. I do not remember a woman on the beat in the SEC until she was hired by the Journal. She was tenacious, did not take no for an answer and had to really fight for equality in terms of access," O'Toole said.

"Her steadfastness changed the way Tennessee held its post-game press conferences, which was the right and fair thing to do – though I admit I was not happy at the time because it took away a competitive edge for me. And back then competition in a two-newspaper town was fierce. To this day I remember when she reported that Tennessee quarterback Alan Cockrell was going to leave school early to sign a baseball contract. I tried to prove that story wrong for a couple of days until I had to give up. She had nailed it.

“Despite being competitors, we were friends. I had great respect for her. And we stayed in touch for several years after I left Knoxville. It’s a sad day," O'Toole said.

Former Journal reporter Cynthia Moxley, now CEO of her own public relations firm, remembered Mrs. McConkey Cox as “a very good, very competitive reporter. She was tough but fair — and this was at a time when not very many women covered sports, especially men’s sports. I admired her for that, and for the way she handled herself.”

Mrs. McConkey Cox went on to cover sports for USA Today, Gannett News Service and the Associated Press, among other publications. While working for Gannett, she received a national award for investigative reporting from the Associated Press Sports Editors Association. During that time, she also was named a Woman of Achievement by the University of Tennessee.

“From my point of view, I thought, ‘My gosh, she is in an arena that is male-dominated, and I can only seriously imagine what it would be like in the position she was in,’” said former Journal copy editor Frank “Buzz” Trexler, who retired last year as editor of the Daily Times in Maryville. “I considered her to be someone who had to be very strong and certainly must have been well-versed in the area she was covering to be able to survive and thrive the way she did.”

Mrs. McConkey Cox applied her survivor attitude to facing illness. She was a 2016 honoree at the American Cancer Society’s Hope Gala and spoke about her experiences to community groups and in online venues, including a blog at Caring Bridge.

She wrote about her “perfect life” enjoying tennis, travel and the outdoors with husband Gary, who had been her “teenage sweetheart,” and daughters Kendall and Hannah, and said cancer didn’t taint it.

“Cancer has caused a lot of changes in my life, but that hasn’t changed, thanks to my faith, my family and my friends,” she wrote. “It’s a little surprising how quickly you manage to find a new normal. … I am happier and more content since being diagnosed with cancer. God is good. All the time.”

Nolan said Mrs. McConkey Cox achieved what she always cited as her primary goal: to make an “impact.”

“Knoxville has lost a great role model for women in business,” Nolan said. “Many of us have lost a friend, too.”

In her time at Scripps Networks, "Cindy was a standout leader and friend," said Ken Lowe, CEO of Scripps Networks Interactive. "She had a reputation for speaking her mind with conviction, having a tireless work ethic, and taking care of business. But as a respected colleague, she was so much more. Cindy was generous with her time and her friendship, serving as a mentor to many. She endeared herself not only to those within our company and our community, but throughout the entire cable television industry.

"We were devastated as we stood by her side when she told us of her cancer diagnosis and have anxiously followed along with her journey since then," Lowe said. "And we were not surprised to see her tackle her disease with hope, determination and grace, in typical Cindy fashion. We are heartbroken to say goodbye to Cindy but everyone whose path crossed with hers at Scripps Networks Interactive is truly grateful to have known her.”

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.