Central Michigan University Athletics
Tom Langton Profile
9/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 8, 2003
By Caleb Buhs
Sports Information Intern
It is sometimes said that humor will help people get through tough situations.
With senior offensive tackle Tom Langton the humor is definitely there and, unfortunately, so are tough times.
Tom was heading into this season, his last donning the Maroon and Gold, with high aspirations after having suffered injuries that kept him out most of the 2002 season. But, his right knee suffered a devastating injury in practice that will force him to spend his last season at Central Michigan University on the sidelines.
Langton tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during training camp in 2002 and was forced to miss the first nine games of the season.
"I was given the option of having surgery or trying to rehab it back to health," said Langton. "The surgery would have meant that I would've missed a good portion of the 2003 season and by rehabbing it meant I would get to play right away."
Tom chose to rehab, which came with the risk of re-injuring the knee.
"I made it all the way through spring and summer drills just fine," explained Tom. "But, about the third practice of training camp I twisted it and that was it."
This time Langton completely tore the ACL and medial collateral ligament (MCL), an injury that meant surgery was necessary and his season was over.
"It's been real hard for me," said Langton. "I have gone through five years of hard work and to just have it all stop is hard to take."
Although the injury has dampened Tom's spirit, it is far from breaking it. His light-hearted and sarcastic attitude has allowed him to downplay the situation.
"I give people on the team a hard time a lot," said Langton. "So they are definitely giving it back to me now. But, it helps to make light of the situation."
Tom feels that the thing that has most helped him through his ordeal has been staying around the team.
"The only thing that has helped me stay sane is hanging out with the team," said Langton. "I have seen many guys get injured and separate themselves from the team. That is when they get depressed. I think that sticking around will help me out in the long run."
He is not just staying with the team just for his own benefit, Tom decided to use his free time to help the younger players on the team.
Offensive line coach Harold Goodwin asked Langton if he would stay with the squad and help out with the offensive line and he was happy to oblige.
"I have been here for five years," said Tom. "All I know is football and the guys on the team are all of my best friends. It was an easy choice for me to stick around."
The switch to a position of authority has meant that Langton had a few hurdles to clear.
"I am used to razzing the younger guys and always giving them a hard time," said Tom. "I have to be nice to them now and that is kind of difficult. But, I think that I am able to help them out because they normally don't get a lot of individual attention from the coaches."
Even with the difficult decision Tom had to make a year ago, he doesn't regret anything that has happened at CMU.
"Looking back on things, I learned a lot by not having the surgery," said Tom. "I definitely don't regret a thing."
Part of the reason that Tom has made so many good friends in Mount Pleasant may have something to do with the type of people that live here. The Midwestern style of life is much different from the way things were in his native New Jersey.
"People in the Midwest are more friendly," said Langton. "It is the small things that make the difference. People are more apt to talk to you even if they don't know you and they don't honk their horns as much when they are driving."
Even though Tom enjoys the area, it is his trips back home that bring back some of his fondest memories.
"Terrence Jackson, Ike Ajoku and I would always travel back home together because we were all from the same area," explained Langton.
"There was one time that Ike was driving my car while I was sleeping. I woke up and found us sitting in the middle of the freeway with cars whizzing past us. Ike had driven through the Ohio Turnpike toll booth without grabbing a ticket and didn't know what to do.
"It's little things like that, that make my time here special. If I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing."
Tom is pursuing a degree in broadcasting and hopes to travel to New York or Los Angeles someday and work in radio and television.
