Dr. Al Langford was a four-year football and basketball letterman for Howard Payne and All-Texas Conference quarterback for three consecutive years. He was taken in the 15th round of the National Football League draft in 1950 by the Chicago Cardinals but ended up playing in the Canadian Football League for the Hamilton Tiger Cats. Then Langford was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving two years in the artillery branch before being transferred to the National Guard for five years. He returned from the armed services to enroll once again at HPU and earn his master’s in education. Langford served in Texas public schools as an administrator, math instructor and football coach from 1953-1968. He received his Ph. D in education from Texas Tech in 1969 and later became the founding president of Midland College, serving in that role for 12 years. The Al G. Langford Chaparral Center on the Midland College campus is named in his honor. Langford also was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of Howard Payne. He died in 2010.