Cloyce Box

Cloyce Kennedy Box (August 24, 1923 – October 24, 1993) was an American football end in the National Football League for the Detroit Lions, where he was voted into two Pro Bowls. He played college football at Louisiana Tech in 1944 and then at West Texas A&M University. He was drafted in the 20th round of the 1948 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He was on two Detroit Lions NFL Championship teams in 1952 and 1953. Cloyce established a $1 million pension fund for Detroit Lions retired players to use.

After retiring from football, he went on to become a rich businessman in Texas owning gas and oil company 'Box Energy Corporation', however his business life was plagued by lawsuits and legal issues.

He once owned Cloyce Box Ranch which was used as the original Southfork Ranch for the mini-series that became the first season of the soap opera Dallas. Litigation that brought by investors wanting to seize control of the Box Energy Corporation became unsuccessful as all litigation against Cloyce Box and Box Energy were overturned.

Cloyce Box Ranch

The Cloyce Box Ranch was the site of the original Southfork ranch location, where the initial five episodes of Dallas were filmed. The series left that location at the end of the first season in 1978 due to a request by the property owner Cloyce K. Box. The show moved to the ranch "Duncan Acres", near Plano, Texas, where the series was filmed for the rest of its run.

The ranch house no longer exists, having been destroyed by a fire in 1987. The frame of the original Southfork Ranch that was used in the pilot season still stands in Frisco, Texas, on the northeast corner of Preston Rd. and Main St. The address of the house is: 10514 E.Main St. Frisco, Tx. 75035.

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Coordinates: 33°09′20″N 96°47′26″W / 33.155581°N 96.790569°W / 33.155581; -96.790569