By Frank Roberts

One of the most important sports figures from Suffolk is wide receiver Reggie Langhorne, who performed handsomely with Cleveland and Baltimore.

Reginald “Reggie” Devan Langhorne was born April 7, 1963, to Elizabeth and Calvin Langhorne in Suffolk. They moved to Smithfield, where their son graduated from Smithfield High in ‘81.

He started pigskinning at Smithfield High School and then went to Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina, where he was a member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity. Then, onward and upward to the majors.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 200-pound Langhorne was a seventh-round draft choice in ‘85, signing with the Cleveland Browns and serving as part of a great receiving corps there until ‘91.

He liked Ohio. He lives there now and sells cars for Pat O’Brien Chevrolet in Westlake. Before tackling customers and racking up sales, he “racked” up impressive figures with the Indianapolis Colts in ‘92 and ‘93. Why only two years? Stay tuned.

In his career, he had 411 receptions for 5,446 yards and 19 touchdowns. He played in three AFC Championship games.

Though he scored only 19 touchdowns in nine years, Langhorne was one of the NFL’s most productive possession receivers with 410 catches for 5,434 yards during an eight-season stretch, according to the Daily Press.

He was in Newport News for a while running a bar and grille. After Newport News, there was football news, with Langhorne making a name for himself as a football broadcaster in the Buckeye State. By the way, he has a fine speaking voice.

He used that voice to say “no” to what seemed like some good offers. After the Colts released him and other veterans — all the big guys who made the big bucks — several other teams showed interest, including Pittsburgh and Kansas City.

But Langhorne already had planned to exit the playing field. He said he was finished with football, adding, “I had a great time. I enjoyed playing and I made my money. I was in for nine years, and that’s long enough.”

A couple other things: He is president of the Eddie Johnson Memorial Foundation, honoring a friend who died of colon cancer. His nickname was Foghorn Leghorn. And he’s an avid golfer.

Are we finished with Suffolk sports folk? Nah! Rory Sparrow played basketball with the New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat, among others. Collegiately, he played at Villanova University, where he made game-winning shots in the last 10 seconds of the game on five separate occasions.

He graduated high school in New Jersey.

Terrence Warren, a John F. Kennedy High School grad was a wide receiver playing with the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. He signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars but, due to an injury, never got to play there.

At JFK, Warren was also a sprinter. In his senior year, he anchored the United States 400-meter relay team to a gold medal in the IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships in Canada. He played both sports at Hampton University.

Off the courts, he was also a hero, setting up a charitable organization bearing his name and working with underprivileged children in New York. In 1987, Sports Illustrated featured him on their cover as one of eight “Athletes Who Care.”

By the way, a future column will cover non-athletic famous folks from Suffolk, some you probably don’t know about.

During a 60-year career spanning newspapers, radio and television, Frank Roberts has been there and done that. Today, he’s doing it in retirement from North Carolina, but he continues to keep an eye set on Suffolk and an ear cocked on country music. Email him at froberts73@embarqmail.com.