Howard Payne University

On June 20, 1889, Howard Payne College was founded at Indian Creek by members of the Pecan Valley Baptist Association. It was named for its first financial benefactor, Robnett's brother-in-law Edward Howard Payne. Under his leadership, the Douglas MacArthur Academy of Freedom was established. • Thomas H. Taylor 1929–1955 • Guy D. Newman 1955–1973 • Roger Brooks 1973–1979 • Charles A. Stewart (Chief Executive Officer) 1979–1980 • Ralph A. Phelps Jr. 1980–1985 • Don Newbury 1985–1997 • Rick Gregory 1997–2002 • Russell H. Dilday (interim president) 2002–2003 • Lanny Hall 2003–2009 • William Ellis 2009–2018 • Paul Armes (interim president) 2018–2019 • Cory Hines 2019–present ==Athletics==

The school supports an active athletic program for both men's and women's competition in the NCAA Division III. The school is currently a member of the American Southwest Conference. National championship teams Howard Payne University teams achieved national championship status in 1957 and 1964 in NAIA Cross country, and in 2008 with NCAA Division III Women's Basketball. Football Football began at Howard Payne in 1903. Gwinn Henry was named the first head coach in 1912 and coached for two seasons. ==Campus life==

In 2015, the university was granted an exception to Title IX allowing it to discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons. In 2016, Campus Pride ranked the college among the worst schools in Texas for LGBT students. Greek organizations There are several fraternities and sororities on campus. ==Notable alumni==

, creator of Conan the Barbarian • Coffey Anderson, singer • O. L. Bodenhamer, 12th national commander of The American Legion from 1929 to 1930 • Cynthia Clawson, Grammy Award-winning musician • Keith Crawford, National Football League (NFL) player • Ronnie Floyd, president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention • Ken Gray, NFL Pro Bowl player • Slim Harriss, Major League Baseball player • Ray Hildebrand, one half of the duo Paul & Paula • Robert E. Howard, writer and creator of Conan the Barbarian • Jill Jackson, one half of the duo Paul & Paula • Ray Jacobs, four-time NFL All-Star • Ken Sanders, NFL player • J. D. Sheffield, Texas State representative from Coryell County • Bob Young, NFL All-Pro player ==References==