Norman Eugene McCanlies played football at Howard Payne and was an All-Texas Conference end in his senior year in 1951. A two-year letterman, he was secretary-reporter of the H-Club for lettermen as a senior. He graduated from Howard Payne in 1952 with a B.S. in history and education and later earned an M.S. from Texas Tech. McCanlies began his teaching career in his hometown of Littlefield and also taught and coached at Borger and Odessa Permian High School. Over a period of three decades, McCanlies was part of many winning football teams, including two state championships at Odessa Permian in 1965 and 1972. Odessa Permian’s baseball field, McCanlies Field, is named after him for his years as baseball coach. He died in 2013.