Ray Jacobs of Corsicana came to Howard Payne in 1959 after a year at Navarro Junior College, where he was an All-American in football and an All-Conference in track. At Howard Payne, he was a three-time All-Texas Conference and a two time All-American as a football player. After graduation, he was the No. 1 draft pick of the Houston Oilers in the AFL draft. The Dallas Cowboys picked him in the seventh round of the NFL draft. He signed with both teams, leading to a lawsuit over where he would play. The Oilers won the suit, but placed Jacobs on waivers and he was claimed by the Denver Broncos. In 1967, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins and then to the Oakland Raiders in 1969 but was released before the start of the season. Picked up by the Buffalo Bills, he was traded to the Boston Patriots. In his eight-year professional career, he was a four-time All-Pro and was named the most valuable defensive player for two different teams. Jacobs returned to Howard Payne for one year as assistant coach and then went to Mabank High School as the head coach, winning three district titles in four years. He also coached at Corsicana High School, Navarro College and Ranger Junior College. After coaching, he became a probation officer for Navarro County, where he served for 20 years. He died in 2021.