ALVIN CHRISMAN -- While earning three letters in track, he helped lead the Eagles to Lone Star Conference team titles in 1940- and 1941. He was a member of the distance medley relay team that went undefeated in 1939, which included a victory at the prestigious Penn Relays. Also a member of the relays that won the medley relay and mile relay at the Kansas Relays.
P.B. STOVALL-- A member of the football team from 1934-36, he was an all-conference center in 1935 and an all-league tackle in 1936. He was also a key play on the teams that captured Lone Star Conference titles in both 1935 and 1936.
RON SHANKLIN -- A two-time all-Missouri Valley Conference receiver for the Eagles in 1967 and 1969, Shanklin was the school's all-time career leader in receiving yards for more than 20 years after he left North Texas in 1969. He remains among the school's top 10 in 10 of North Texas's receiving records.
Shanklin combined with fellow wide receiver Barry Moore and quarterback Steve Ramsey to form one of the greatest aerial combinations in the nation, setting national passing records. Shanklin was the deep threat, averaging 20.0 yards per catch for his career. His 144 career receptions ranks fifth all-time at North Texas, his 2,465 receiving yards remains fourth all-time, and his 31 receiving touchdowns is still a Mean Green record. Shanklin was named to the Missouri Valley's All-Centennial Team.
Shanklin was drafted by Pittsburgh and played for six years with the Steelers and Chicago Bears. In 1973, he led the NFL in yards per reception with an average of 23.7 to go along with 10 touchdowns, earning him a spot in the Pro Bowl. For his career, Shanklin averaged 18.3 yards per catch.
Shanklin returned to North Texas as an assistant coach from 1982 to 1990 working with receivers and running backs on the staff of head coach Corky Nelson.
ABNER HAYNES -- A two-time all-Missouri Valley Conference running back for the Eagles, Haynes ranked seventh in the nation in rushing and fifth in scoring as a senior in 1959. He led North Texas to an appearance in the 1959 Sun Bowl post-season game and was named an All-American by Time Magazine that same year.
In 1956, Haynes and teammate Leon King became the first African-American student-athletes to play college football in Texas when they became members of the North Texas freshman team. Haynes moved up to the varsity in 1957 and, despite the racial hurdles he faced, Haynes led the Mean Green in rushing for three years. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry for his career and scored 28 touchdowns. In 1959, he led North Texas to the Sun Bowl, earned All-America honors, and was named to the 1959 All-America team by Time Magazine. He earned two Missouri Valley All-Conference honors, and would later be named to the Missouri Valley's All-Centennial Team. In addition to Haynes's prodigious accomplishments as a running back, he was also a terror on special teams. In 1957, he averaged a remarkable 39.3 yards per punt return, which still stands as a school record. Even more astonishing is his career punt-return average: 28.6 yards per return, a record that remains unchallenged at North Texas.
In 1960, Haynes was selected twice to play pro ball, drafted by the Steelers of the NFL but signed by the Dallas Texans of the American Football League. In his rookie year, Haynes led the fledgling AFL in rushing and was the league's first Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. From 1960 to 1962, Haynes led the league in rushing touchdowns, was top three in rushing yards, and was first-team All-AFL. In 1961, he scored five touchdowns in one game and 19 for the season, and, in the 1962 AFL Championship game, Haynes scored two touchdowns as the Texans (which later became the Kansas City Chiefs) beat the Houston Oilers, 20-17, to win the league crown. For his career, Haynes averaged 10.3 yards per punt return and 25.0 yards per kickoff return, and his 12,065 combined yards stands as an AFL record. Haynes retired in 1967, and the Chiefs retired his number in 1988. Haynes was named to the All-Time All-AFL second team and was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
E.O. "DOC" HAYES He played basketball at North Texas from 1926-28 and later coached at Pilot Point High School before spending 20 years as the head coach at SMU. He guided the Mustangs to eight Southwest Conference championships and won 299 games while at SMU.
