Jim Langer

James John Langer (May 16, 1948 – August 29, 2019) was an American professional football player who was a center and guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings. BBC Sport reported him as one of the greatest centers in NFL history. Langer was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1987.

He is one of only five Dolphins players to get elected to the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility; the others being Dan Marino, Don Shula, Paul Warfield, and Jason Taylor.

College career Langer was a native of Little Falls, Minnesota. He played middle linebacker at South Dakota State University, where in 1969 he was Honorable Mention All-America. He also played on the team's offensive line, alternating between the tackle and guard positions.

Langer also excelled at baseball, making a second-team All-America selection as an outfielder in his junior season. He led the team in hitting, field and pitching as the Jacks won a share of the North Central Conference title.

After graduating South Dakota State University with a B.S. in economics, he was signed by the Cleveland Browns as a free agent in 1970, but was cut during training camp. Langer signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins and saw limited action for his first 2 seasons.

Langer was inducted to the Dolphins Honor Roll and in the Dolphins Walk of Fame.

In 2016, the football field of Royalton High School was named after Langer. It is one of 97 high school football fields in America to be named an NFL Hometown Hall of Fame field. He told sports columnist Dave Hyde of Ft. Lauderdale's Sun-Sentinel "We've got some real moral compass issues in Washington... I don't want to be in a room with those people and pretend I'm having a good time. I can't do that. If that [angers] people, so be it."

According to his wife Linda, Langer died on August 29, 2019, at a hospital near his home in Coon Rapids, Minnesota because of a sudden heart-related issue.

To honor his contributions, the Hall of Fame flag was flown at half-staff in Canton, Ohio. Langer's death made him the third player from the 1972 Dolphins team to die in 2019, along with Bob Kuechenberg and Nick Buoniconti.