Elvin "Sonny" Liles was a former Clinton, Oklahoma A&M and NFL offensive lineman.

Born August 9, 1919, in Marlow, Liles attended Clinton Public Schools, where he was a four-year player for the Red Tornadoes, earning honorable mention All-Southwestern Conference as a junior and second team as a senior while helping the Red Tornadoes go 6-4-1 overall and 4-3-1 in conference play as team co-captain.

Liles also wrestled and participated in track and field at Clinton.

Liles enrolled at Oklahoma A&M, where he earned the starting center position on the freshman squad in 1938.

As a sophomore, Liles played both offense and defense for the Aggies, who went 5-4-1 and 3-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play in head coach Jim Lookabaugh's first season. Liles' play earned him a second-team All-MVC selection.

He topped that as a junior and senior, twice earning first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors.

After spending time in the U.S. Army in 1942, Liles signed with the NFL's Detroit Lions in 1943. He appeared in nine games with the Lions in 1944 and had one interception.

In 1945, he was signed by Cleveland and played in eight games for the Rams, who went on to win the NFL Championship.

After his football career, he returned to school at USC. It was at USC where he was hired as an assistant coach in 1951 and he continued in 1953 as an assistant at Midwestern State (TX).

In 1955, Liles became an assistant football and head wrestling coach at Pacific High School in San Bernardino, California. Liles coached Pacific to 14 Citrus Belt League wrestling titles.

In 1975, Liles was among those chosen for the All-Decade team of the 1930s, which was put together by the Jim Thorpe Awards Committee.

In 1994, San Bernardino's Pacific High inducted Liles into its Hall of Fame.

Liles passed away in 2005 at the age of 86 and was laid to rest in Riverside National Cemetery in San Bernardino.