*Picture is of the high school that Alex Box attended in Laurel, MS named George S. Gardiner High School.
Alex Box was known for how good of an athlete he was in high school. Throughout his high school career, he was all-state in football, and a state champion in the 100- and 200- yard dashes and in the discus throw. He also played football at his high school and was even on a semi-pro baseball team. By the time he graduated from George S. Gardiner High School, he rejected football scholarship offers from all the surrounding states and even a spot on the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. What he did accept was a football scholarship from Louisiana State University in 1938.
EARLE HUBERT, Plaquemine, Louisana; Education; Delta Zeta; Delta Gamma Delta; Transfer Adviser, '41; Y. W. C. A. Cabinet. (from yearbook)
*Pictured above is a screenshot of an LSU yearbook where Earle Hubert is pictured, Box's love interest before he went off to war.
While at Louisiana State University, Box majored in Petroleum Engineering, played football and baseball, and did ROTC training as all men were required to do during college. He also was in many professional clubs and was the Vice President of Engineering. On the football field, Box wore the number 20, the number the famous Billy Cannon would wear before it was retired. Playing baseball and football for LSU, he played for the team that won 1939 SEC baseball championship and halfback for football. During the midst of all of this he met a girl named Earle Hubert who was from Plaquemine, Louisiana. She was a prominent member of the Delta Zeta Sorority and was majoring in Education. By the time he graduated in 1942 with his degree and commissioned in the Army as the Second Lieutenant, it was understood that Alex and Earle would marry once he got back from the war. (Which sadly did not go to plan)
Fun Fact: He dislocated his shoulder in 1929, which ended his football career. Because of this, he turned to baseball and played right field. During games, his shoulder would sometimes dislocate and his teammates would help him pull it back in place on the field, letting him stay in the game.