by

Richie Hall

Sports Editor 

Hamilton County Reporter

She went from being a state basketball and golf champion to becoming one of the “Sisters of Savings,” then was placed on the front line of humanity’s never-ending war against cancer.

All in all, Courtney Cox Cole had a remarkable life journey, one that ended on Sunday. Cole passed away that day after a five-and-a-half-year battle with lung cancer at the age of 48.

Cole was part of three state championship teams as a 1989 Noblesville High School graduate. She helped the Millers to a state basketball championship in 1987. That title began a run of four consecutive appearances at the state finals for Noblesville, with Cole playing in the first three.

Cole finished her career with 1,869 points, making her the all-time girls basketball scorer at Noblesville and in Hamilton County, and fourth in the entire state of Indiana. She was named as an Indiana All-Star, a USA Today and Parade Magazine First Team All-American, a Gatorade Player of the Year and won the Dial Award for National High School Scholar/Athlete of the Year.

Cole was also part of back-to-back state titles in girls golf for the Millers in 1986 and 1987, her sophomore and junior seasons. In her senior year, Cole was the individual sectional champion at Anderson Highland her senior year and placed fifth in the state, helping Noblesville to a fifth-place finish.

“The Noblesville Athletic Department and community lost another pioneer on Sunday; we are saddened at the loss of Courtney Cox,” said Noblesville athletic director Leah Wooldridge. “She was one of the most heralded student-athletes in Noblesville history; there are few that have the accolades that she accomplished; 1986 & 1987 member of the Girls Golf State Championship Team; an instrumental member on the 1987 Girls Basketball State Championship Team, 1988 State Runner-Up Team, and 1989 Final 4 Team; was inducted into the Hamilton Country Hall of Fame in 2003; and inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. Courtney will be remembered as a fierce competitor, a successful businesswoman, a great Mom, and a great friend. She will be missed by all that had the privilege to know her.”

At Monday’s girls golf sectional, the Millers wore ribbons on their hats honoring Cole. The Miller Girls Golf Twitter account posted the following message on Sunday: “Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of Courtney Cole. Her contributions to our program, school and community will be felt forever … one of the greatest Millers ever gone far too soon. Our thoughts are with her family and friends.”

Also on Twitter, the Noblesville girls basketball team (NHSGirlsBBall) posted, “Courtney was an absolute star. She was a warrior and a leader her entire life. She will be missed but leaves a legacy that will last a lifetime.”

After graduating from Noblesville, Cole headed to Indiana University, and graduated from its Kelly School of Business in 1994. Cole also played on the Hoosiers’ women’s basketball team, and was part of its 1991 runner-up finish in the WNIT tournament. She also continued her golf success, qualifying for the NCAA tournament twice and received numerous honors as well. Cole received the school’s Leanne Grotke Award in 2011; the award honors those who have made outstanding contributions to IU’s women’s athletic programs.

Indiana women’s coach Teri Moren posted the following statement on the Hoosiers’ women’s basketball website: “Our sincerest sympathies are with the family of Courtney Cox Cole. I played against Courtney in both high school and college and remember her as a fierce competitor. She took that same attitude as she battled cancer for the last six years. Courtney remained positive throughout her fight and became an inspiration to so many. History will remember her as one of Indiana’s all-time greatest, but more importantly she will be remembered as a genuine, funny, successful business woman and as a loving mother, daughter and sister.”

Upon graduation from college, Cole returned to Noblesville and worked with her father Dave Cox and sister Monica Peck at Hare Chevrolet, the family’s car dealership that has been a Noblesville institution since 1847. Cole and Peck bought the business in 2008 and continued its success, making it the top volume General Motors dealership in Indiana. Cole and Peck also became local celebrities with their “Sisters of Savings” ads, which were heard throughout Central Indiana. Cole and Peck sold the business to Asbury Automotive Group in January 2017, but continued to be heard on the ads for the next couple of years.

Cole wrote candidly about her battle with cancer in a series of columns that she wrote for the Reporter in 2017. In her first column, she wrote about how she ran her first marathon in January 2014, only to be diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer, which would progress to Stage 4. In subsequent columns, she wrote about living with cancer and the various treatments.

“I have quickly learned that every day is a gift and it is up to us to make the absolute most of it,” said Cole at the end of her first column.

If anyone made the absolute most of every day, it was Courtney Cox Cole.