Boyce Box and his twin brother, Cloyce (1988 Hall of Champions inductee) came to West Texas State Teachers College in the fall of 1942 from tiny Jonesboro, Texas.
The 6-4 Boyce played as a freshman on the team that went 15-7 for Coach Gus Miller and were co-champions of the Border Conference. Box then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was assigned to V-12 program at the University of North Carolina. He played on the 1943-44 Tar Heel team that went 17-10 and was the regular-season Southern Conference champions and lost to Duke in the tournament final game.
After the end of World War II, Box came back to WT and played two years of basketball beginning in the fall of 1946 and was an end on the football 1946 team that had a record of 5-5. As a senior on the basketball team he was the captain and during his career the Buffs went 39-31.
Box received his Bachelor's of Science degree from WT on Aug. 22, 1949. He signed a contract with the New York Yankees and was assigned to the Beaumont, Texas, farm club as an outfielder. The Yankees made him a pitcher, but he developed bursitis in his pitching arm and that ended his pro career, however, he did return to action and pitched two summers for the Amarillo Gold Sox.
Box then decided to go into coaching and was hired as the athletic director at Abernathy, Texas, where he coached football, basketball, and track for three and a half years.
During the Korean War, Box once again served in the U.S. Marine Corps. After Box was honorably discharged as a captain in 1951, he became an insurance agent for Massachusetts Mutual Life, where he worked for more than 40 years - becoming a life member of the Million Dollar Round Table.
Along with his insurance business Box branched out as an entrepreneur, building motels, restaurants, mobile home parks, and truck stops.
In 1974, Box was awarded the prestigious Distinguished Alumnus award from the WT Alumni Association, and for many years served on the Development Board at Baylor University. He coached American Legion baseball and served as a mentor to many young boys striving to excel in sports.
