Trailblazing AFL player Mason Cox delisted by Collingwood after 11-year journey

Mason Cox, the first American to become a regular AFL player, has been delisted by Collingwood after 11 years and 139 games at the club.

The trailblazing 34-year-old confirmed in a video on Instagram that won’t be with the Magpies in 2026 and thanked the club and supporters.

“It’s crazy to think that you’d never heard of a sport … to then being a premiership player,” Cox said.

“To the Collingwood supporters, the best supporters in the world … the feeling of having 100,000 people screaming USA at the MCG is something I’ll never take for granted.

“A massive thank you for all the support throughout my 11 years at the Collingwood Football Club – I’m super proud and honoured.”

The towering 211cm ruck-forward didn’t confirm if he intended to retire or try to extend his career at another club but said he was “pretty excited about what’s next”.

Cox famously debuted on Anzac Day 2016, kicking the first goal of the game in front of 85,082 people at the MCG.

A former college basketballer, Cox was signed by Collingwood as an international rookie in 2014 after impressing at two combines – one in Los Angeles, and the second in Australia.

After 20 games over his first two seasons on the Magpies’ main list, Cox became a regular in 2018 as Collingwood shot back up the ladder.

In one of the most extraordinary preliminary final performances, Cox powered Collingwood into the 2018 premiership decider with a towering effort to help dethrone red-hot favourites Richmond.

The Magpies went down to West Coast the following week in a thriller, but Cox became a premiership player five years later when Collingwood defeated the Brisbane Lions in an epic 2023 grand final.

Cox became an Australian citizen in 2022 during a ceremony at the MCG.

He played 10 games for Collingwood in 2025, including both of their finals.

Wearing goggles for his final few seasons due to a serious eye injury, Cox ends his time at the Magpies with 127 goals.

With Australian Associated Press

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