The 48-year-old arrives from Notts County, where he was Assistant Manager to Neal Ardley. Hailing from the town, Cox is well known to Scunthorpe fans, having come through the ranks at the club. He made 26 appearances, scoring one goal, before a move to top-flight side Aston Villa in early 1991 for a fee of £400,000.
The former defender, who won caps as an England Under-21 international, went on to also play at the highest level for Middlesbrough, Bolton Wanderers and Watford before ending his playing career with Cardiff City, Crewe Alexandra and Leek Town. Cox made a total of 652 senior career appearances and scored 42 goals.
He started his coaching life with a management stint at Leek Town before a six-year spell as assistant to Neal Ardley at AFC Wimbledon. The duo then went on to manage Notts County.