Cox played for the New York Yankees and managed the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays.

Prior to managing in the States, Cox played from 1967 to 1970 for the Cardenales de Lara and Leones del Caracas clubs of the Venezuelan Winter League.

This team featured such future major leaguers as Ron Guidry, Mickey Klutts, Terry Whitfield and Juan Bernhardt.

He then spent the 1977 season as the first base coach on Billy Martin's staff with the World Series–winning Yankees before beginning his MLB managerial career.

Cox replaced Dave Bristol as the manager of the Atlanta Braves prior to the 1978 season, inheriting a team that had finished last in the National League West during the previous two seasons and, in 1977, compiled a worse record than the first-year Seattle Mariners of the American League.

Asked at a press conference who was on his short list for manager, Turner replied, "It would be Bobby Cox if I hadn't just fired him.

The Braves won the National League West division title in 1982 and finished second in both 1983 and 1984 under Cox's successor Joe Torre.

In 1985, Cox's fourth season with the club, the Blue Jays finished in first place in the American League East.

This change ultimately made the difference when Cox's Blue Jays became only the fifth team to lose a playoff series after leading three games to one to the Kansas City Royals, with the decision by Dick Howser to counter Cox's platooning by starting a right-handed pitcher before going with left-handed relievers in the middle innings proving key.

On October 22, 1985, Cox left to return to Atlanta as a general manager; he stated that a key reason was his family, who had continued to live in Marietta, Georgia.

Cox had spent the prior four seasons accumulating talented players, including Tom Glavine, Steve Avery, John Smoltz, Ron Gant, and David Justice.

In 1993, the Braves had the best record in baseball after a pennant race where they overcame a 10-game deficit in August to beat the San Francisco Giants.

In 1995, the Atlanta Braves won Cox's only World Series championship as a manager, over the Cleveland Indians.

After sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the division series, the Braves' pitching fell behind the St. Louis Cardinals, three games to one in the 1996.

In 2001, he tied a record held by John McGraw, Bill Dahlen and Paul Richards by being ejected from eleven games in a single season.

On September 23, 2009, Cox signed a one-year contract extension through 2010, and on the same day announced that 2010 would be his final year as manager.

On May 12, 2007, Cox passed Sparky Anderson to become the fourth-winningest manager in major league history, with a record of 2,195 wins and 1,698 losses.

On June 8, 2009, Cox won his 2,000th game with the Atlanta Braves, becoming only the fourth manager in Major League history to accomplish that feat with one team.

[20] Cox reached career win number 2,500 on September 25, 2010, becoming only the fourth manager in Major League history to do so.

[23] In a July 2006 game, Cox was unable to save outfielder Jeff Francoeur from ejection; speaking with Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat writer David O'Brien, Francoeur recounted his manager's advice after both men had been sent to the Braves clubhouse: Cox is also the only person among all players and managers to be ejected from two World Series games (1992 and 1996).

He was ejected in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the 1992 World Series for throwing a batting helmet onto the field at the SkyDome.

[24] Cox was tossed again in the final game of the 1996 World Series after protesting an out call of Marquis Grissom attempting to take second base on a passed ball.

Although video replays appeared to show Grissom was safe, umpire Terry Tata called him out, and Cox was tossed in the ensuing argument.

Afterward, an on-field ceremony was held that recognized the long-time Braves manager prior to the scheduled game versus the Chicago Cubs.

[28] Cox was hired on September 22, 2014, to return on a part-time basis to help the Atlanta Braves choose their next general manager and director of player development after the dismissal of general manager Frank Wren and player personnel director Bruce Manno.

In 2019, the International League announced that Cox would be inducted into its Hall of Fame, noting especially his managerial experience with the Chiefs.