On the football field he’s a deep snapper, but in the classroom he’s a math whiz.

Redshirt freshman Cody Cox took first place at the TCU math department’s 31st annual calculus bee Tuesday. He’s the first football player to ever take the top spot.

In fact, because Cox is a member of the football team, he had to rearrange his schedule in order to participate in the calculus bee.

“I had to talk to Coach Bumpas and move my workout,” Cox said. “We work out in two groups – offense at 2:30 p.m., defense at 3:30 p.m. – and it was actually right during this time, so I had to move to the 7 a.m. workout.”

Rounding out second and third place respectively were Nick Vreeburg and Phuc Ta. The two went head-to-head in “triple overtime,” answering three questions until one found the correct answer.

Prizes and gift cards to the TCU Bookstore were awarded to Cox, Vreeburg and Ta for finishing in the top three.

Around 40 students packed a classroom in Tucker Technology Center for this year’s calculus bee, which was right on par with last year’s bee, said Ken Richardson, the event’s organizer.

Richardson also said this year’s bee was a success, writing in an e-mail, “It met my expectations, which were high.”

As in the past, there was a theme to go along with this year’s competition: Calculus and the Earth.

There was also a secondary theme, Recycled Calculus Bee. Problems from past eras were used in reference to the fact the bee took place on Earth Day. Competitors even answered questions on recycled paper.

Those who participated were mainly math students, but some came from other majors that require calculus, such as engineering, Richardson said.

Cox, for instance, is a business major. But after today’s win, he said he is considering adding a math minor.