Harry Langford (December 6, 1929 – September 19, 2022) was a Canadian footballlineman who played for the Calgary Stampeders. He was noted for playing 135 consecutive games for the franchise from 1950 to 1958.
Langford was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba,[2] on December 6, 1929.[3] He completed his primary education at Cecil Rhodes School in Weston,[3] before attending the Daniel McIntyre Collegiate Institute.[4] There, he played for the Daniel McIntyre Maroons from 1945 to 1946 and was selected to both the defensive and offensive all-star teams. He then became an assistant to the Maroons' head coach for three years, while simultaneously playing junior football for the Weston Wildcats. He was named a two-way all-star in all three seasons, was honoured as the league's most valuable player in 1949, and eventually became captain.[3] From his high school years onward, he missed only one game when he fainted after being elbowed in the forehead and receiving a concussion.[5] Although he was hospitalized, he still turned up for practice the following day.[5]
Langford made his debut for the Calgary Stampeders during the 1950 season. The franchise did not qualify for the playoffs during his first two seasons.[6] He played mainly as a guard, though his versatility meant that he could play several positions at both offence and defence. He received All-Star selections in 1952 and from 1955 to 1958, and was appointed captain for the 1958 Shrine Game.[3] He went on to play 135 consecutive regular-season games during his nine seasons with the Stampeders.[2][7] When including pre-season and playoff games, this totalled to 158 consecutive games, which established a new record at the time.[5] In order to supplement his meagre income from football, Langford worked as a print lithographer and owned a gas station.[5]
Langford was married to Muriel until her death in November 2012. They first met when he was 13 years old.[5]
After retiring from professional football, Langford stayed in Calgary for several years and was appointed coach of the Calgary Colts in 1965.[7] He was also a player-coach with the intermediate Drumheller Miners for three seasons.[3] He later relocated to Nanaimo, where he resided until his death.[7] He was honoured by the Stampeders on their Wall of Fame in 1992,[8] before being inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum two decades later in November 2012.[3][5] Langford died on the morning of September 19, 2022, at age 92.[2][7]
^ abcdef"Harry Langford". Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Sport Manitoba. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
^Austin, Daniel (November 25, 2012). "Calgary Stampeders". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Archived from the original on May 31, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
