Jesse Elmo Lang (1967) - Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame

Jesse Elmo Lang

Induction:
1967

Elmo Lang was an outstanding two-way end for Coach Pie Vann from 1949 to 1952 and became one of the leaders on both sides of the ball on some the best teams produced by Southern Miss in the early years after World War II.
      Lang wasn't the type of receiver who could dazzle you with his beautiful moves and outrun with sprinter speed, he was more of a power receiver, a player that could use his size and strength to block you or get to the football to make the catch.
      He came to Southern Miss from Magnolia, Mississippi, where he was an outstanding basketball player in addition to starring on the gridiron. Many people that saw him play during his career, felt that his success and abilities on the basketball court, helped to make catching passes easy for him.
      With a veteran like Cliff Coggin around during the 1949 season that didn't leave many passes for the rest of the ends to catch, but Lang made two for 25 yards during his rookie season. Where he was really valuable though to the team that season was as a blocker in the Southern Miss running attack that averaged nearly 200 yards a game. The 1949 team finished the year 7-3.
      By that point Lang was impressing the coaching staff with his great work ethic and his knowledge of the game, that led to even more playing time the following season.
      But injuries would keep Lang from making the type of contribution he wanted to make and could have made to the team that year. Without his steady play on offense and defense they struggled to a 5-5 record.
      In 1951, the team won the Gulf States Conference Championship and Lang started to come into his own as an end for Southern Miss, having his best year yet catching the football snagging 17 passes for 316 yards (18.6 average) and seven touchdowns. That offensive unit scored over 30 points that year and produced almost 4,000 yards of total offense. Lang also proved he had better than average speed that year racing 44-yards on an end around. Defensively that year he was one of the best on the team at pressuring the quarterback and even though defensive stats weren't kept back then, one would suspect that he would have been among the team leaders if they had been kept.
      Lang would have another sensational year catching the football in 1952 grabbing 10 passes for 178 yards (17.8 average) and four touchdowns. The 1952 team was one of the most powerful teams in school history, winning its final ten games after losing the season opener to Alabama that year. They would go on to play The College of the Pacific in the Sun Bowl, finishing the year with a 10-2 record.
      Lang would finish his career with 29 pass receptions, 27 the final two seasons, for 519 yards (18.5 average).
      He was one of the first in a long line of outstanding ends to play for Southern Miss and his fearlessness at going over the middle to catch the ball and the solid blocking he provided for the running attack have always been remembered .