Marion Mathias “Barney” Hale coached at Howard Payne from 1933-1935 and 1941-1947. The Yellow Jackets won the Texas Conference Championship in football in 1941 and 1942 while he was a defensive coach. In 1942, his defense didn’t allow a single point. In 1945, Hale coached the Yellow Jacket men’s basketball team to the first undefeated season in the program’s history, defeating Abilene Christian College in overtime in the final game of the year. That team is the only undefeated men’s basketball team in Howard Payne history. Following the 1947 season, Hale moved to Brownsville to open and operate a movie theater. He would operate the Grande Theater for 20 years. He also assisted local high school football teams and helped found Brownsville Little League Baseball, all while serving as U.S. marshal for the Southern District of Texas, appointed by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961-65. On July 12, 2005, Hale turned 100. He died a few months later. He was a 1925 graduate of Grandview High School in Texas and a 1933 graduate of George Washington University.