If fans traveling to Cliff Harris Stadium use the main campus entrance on Elrod Boulevard, one of the sights they will encounter on their righthand side is the Joseph "Tiger Joe" Langston Football Practice Field. Much of the Tigers' success on Saturdays can be traced back to the preparation that takes place at this field on the days leading up to games. But what is the story of the man it's named after?

Joseph Langston was born near Emmet, Arkansas, on June 23, 1915, listing Little Rock as his hometown during college. He was highly involved on campus, serving as president of the athletics program's "O" Association and vice president of Rho Sigma men's social club. Langston also held membership in the university's Rifle Club, German Club and Pre-Med Club. But it was the gridiron where "Tiger Joe" truly shined. 

A guard playing on scholarship for all four years at Ouachita, Langston had a breakout season during his junior year, receiving All-State honors. His senior campaign as team co-captain proved even better. Langston earned another All-State selection – this one unanimous – with The Ouachitonian yearbook noting that the guard's "fast blocking and consistent defense was always a thorn in the opponent's line-up." His senior yearbook quote read: "No opposition is too strong for this lineman." That mindset proved essential in another area of campus involvement: ROTC.

By the time he was a senior, Langston had risen to the rank of first lieutenant and commander of the first platoon in Ouachita's ROTC Company B. Upon graduating in 1940, he received an ROTC U.S. Army Commission, joining a group of university alumni known as the "Tiger Line" – a tradition that continues today. Per his obituary, Langston then began a 30-year career as an Armor officer, including service in General George S. Patton's Third Army on the European front during World War II. His unit, the Sixth Armored Division, played a critical role in breaking Germany's siege on Bastogne, Belgium, during the pivotal Battle of the Bulge. Langston was later awarded the Silver Star Medal for his efforts during the war. He continued to serve in overseas and domestic operations, eventually retiring with the rank of colonel.

While at Ouachita, Langston met a student from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, named Lavinia "Petesy" Hankins. The two fell in love and married, sharing 63 years together before Petesy's death in 2004. "Tiger Joe" passed away six years later at the age of 94. Today, his legacy lives on through the football practice field, which is located just across the road from Ouachita's softball stadium: Lavinia "Petesy" Langston Field. More than eight decades after their first encounter on campus, the Langstons are never far apart at Ouachita.

EXTRA TIDBIT: One of "Tiger Joe" Langston's teammates during the 1939 season was a tackle named Ed Neal. Neal went on to play seven seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, and he was selected to play in the first Pro Bowl in 1951.