Langston Rogers, who has won every award a sports information director can win, added another last Friday when he was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame.
It was the sixth Hall of Fame honor for the Calhoun City native. He had previously been inducted into the College Sports Information Directors Hall of Fame in 1990, the Mississippi Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame in 1997, the Delta State University Alumni Hall of Fame in 2008, the East Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, and the Ole Miss Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
“This is an incredible honor,” Rogers said.
Rogers became the third sports information director inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, following Bob Hartley of Mississippi State and Ace Cleveland of Southern Miss.
He is the fourth Calhoun Countian inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Glen “Slats” Hardin, of Derma, who won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1936, was inducted in 1991. Mississippi State All American football player Scott Suber of Calhoun City was inducted in 1993 and James C. “Jim” Edwards, of Banner, who pitched from 1922-28 in the major leagues, was inducted in 1966.
Rogers practically grew up on the Calhoun City Square. His mother died when he was not yet 1-year-old, and his father was in the Merchant Marines, stationed in St. Petersburg, Fla. Rogers, his brother David and sister Raymona (James) were 1, 3 and 5-years-old and facing the possibility of being separated.
“They wanted to split us up. I was going to get sent to Memphis with family, my brother to a great aunt in Shannon, and my sister would remain there in Calhoun City with our grandparents,” Rogers said. “But my grandmother put her foot down. She wouldn’t have it.”
Olivia and Buck Langston raised all three of their grandchildren. Mr. Langston farmed approximately 20 acres just east of Hwy. 9 near Bobby Parker’s business today at the northern city limits of Calhoun City. Mrs. Langston operated a small cafe on the Calhoun City square where Rogers washed dishes.
Rick Cleveland, Jimmie giles, Bill Buckner, Gerald Glass and Langston Rogers
“Growing up in a small town, so many people really took care of me,” Rogers said. “I think I worked in almost every store around that square as a kid growing up.”
Among those jobs was sweeping the floors in the newsroom of the Monitor-Herald newspaper in Calhoun City at age six. He had his first byline at age nine.
“I tell everybody I started from the floor up and literally that’s the truth,” Rogers said.
He played all sports in high school, going both ways as a halfback and defensive back for a Calhoun City team that won a conference championship, despite the fact he was always the smallest of the kids his age.
“I was always the smallest kid on the block,” Rogers said. “When we played Little League baseball we couldn’t afford uniforms so we wore t-shirts with Calhoun City on the front and we put our number on the back. I was so small I didn’t deserve a full number so my number was 1/3.”
Hall of Fame Coach Bull Sullivan gave him a scholarship to East Mississippi Community College where he was a football manager, student sports information director, baseball player and Sullivan’s right-hand man.
“He (Sullivan) was a bear on the field but a Teddy Bear off the field,” Rogers said. “I got to know him really well.”
From there Rogers moved to Delta State in similar capacities where he served as manager for Horace McCool’s football team, played baseball for Boo Ferriss, and eventually served as student assistant in sports information.
Langston Rogers with his wife Paula, their children and grandchildren
He became the school’s first full-time sports information director after graduation where he covered three national championships by the Lady Statesmen basketball team.
“Those were incredible times,” Rogers said. “We would play in the Louisiana Superdome one night and Madison Square Garden the next night.”
Reflecting on career highlights, the Lady Statesmen were among his favorites.
“It was an unbelievable ride and an unbelievable experience for a school of that size to get that kind of national notoriety and acclaim.”
He would then move on to Ole Miss where he would work with five chancellors, five athletic directors and seven head football coaches before retiring in 2010 after 29 years with the Rebels.
“I’m not sure you ever appreciate your sports information director enough,” Ole Miss legend Archie Manning said. “He may be one of the least appreciated people at a university. Langston’s job has been more than just handling what’s coming up. He has a great vision. He’s always hustling.”
“Without the assistance of so many people this honor wouldn’t be possible for me,” Rogers said in his acceptance speech. “Heading that list is my family. I’m so grateful for Paula, Laura and Bill for allowing me the freedom to enjoy the profession I chose. Paula has always been the rock of our family and held things together no matter if I was at home or when my job took me on the road.”
“To the people of my hometown of Calhoun City and so many others at East Mississippi Community College, Delta State University, and Ole Miss, thank you for your wonderful support all these years.”
“I’m thankful to June Murphree, for taking a young boy under her wing and letting me discover journalism by working at the local newspaper,” Rogers said. “I’m also thankful to Coach Bull Sullivan for giving me the opportunity to go to EMCC and introducing me to the athletics-media relations field as a possible career.”
Rogers also thanked Coach McCool and Coach Ferris saying “I can never repay these three men who had a major influence on my life.”
Photos by Joel McNeece/Calhoun County Journal