Timothy Joe Long (born April 20, 1963) is an American former professional football player and coach. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings as a left tackle in 1985 and also played for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) as a center in 1987. Also signed and played guard for the Indianapolis Colts in 1988.
| No. 68 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Center | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | April 20, 1963 Cleveland, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 308 lb (140 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Bradley Central (Cleveland, Tennessee) | ||||||
| College: | Memphis | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1985 / round: 3 / pick: 66 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Career
editLong attended Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, Tennessee, graduating in 1981.[1] He enrolled at Memphis State University, and played college football for the Memphis State Tigers. In 1984, he was named an honorable mention on the Associated Press All-America Team.[2] Selected as a "Grid God" in US Magazine.
The Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) selected Long in the third round, with the 66th overall selection, of the 1985 NFL draft.[3] He played in preseason games for the Vikings, Indianapolis Colts, and San Francisco 49ers. In 1987, he played in three regular season games for the 49ers. His career ended prematurely due to injuries.[4]
After his retirement from playing, Long volunteer coached the offensive line for Briarcrest Christian School[5] for 9 seasons. He coached Michael Oher who was portrayed in the movie The Blind Side as well as both of his sons who later attended the University of Georgia on football scholarships.
Personal life
editBoth of Long's sons, Austin & Hunter Long, played college football for the University of Georgia.[6]
References
edit- ^ Cannon, Joe. "Bear trio ink scholarships". Cleveland Daily Banner. Archived from the original on January 2, 2015. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ "The Day - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ "1985 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Lewis, Michael (October 12, 2009). The Blind Side (Movie Tie-in ed.). ISBN 9780393079029. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ Lewis, Michael (September 24, 2006). "The Ballad of Big Mike". The New York Times. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
- ^ Weiszer, Marc (October 29, 2012). "Offensive lineman Long knows first-hand Hugh Freeze's trickery". Online Athens. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
External links
edit- Career statistics from Pro Football Reference