Rocky Long

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Rocky Long

Title Head Coach
College New Mexico
Sport Football
Team record 8-4
Born January 27, 1950 (1950-01-27) (age 58)
Place of birth Provo, Utah
Career highlights
Overall 60-60 (.500)
Coaching stats
College Football DataWarehouse
Awards
CFL Western All-Star - 1977
Playing career
1972-1973
1974
1975-1977
British Columbia Lions- CFL
Detroit Wheels - WFL
British Columbia Lions- CFL
Position Defensive Back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1972-73
1974-75
1978
1979-80
1981-1985
1986-87
1988-1990
1991-1995
1996-1997
1998-Present
New Mexico (GA)
Eldorado HS
New Mexico (BF)
New Mexico (SC)
Wyoming (DC)
British Columbia Lions (LB)
TCU (SC)
Oregon State (DC)
UCLA (DC)
New Mexico

Rocky Long (b. January 27, 1950, in Provo, Utah) is the current head football coach at the University of New Mexico. Long is also a former Canadian Football League (British Columbia Lions) and World Football League (Detroit Wheels) player.

Long was the starting quarterback for the University of New Mexico Lobo football team from 1969 to 1971, recording consecutive winning seasons and earning player-of-the-year honors in the Western Athletic Conference in 1971.

His professional career began with the British Columbia Lions in 1972, with whom he would play 68 games in total. In 1974 he departed to the Detroit Wheels of the up-start WFL. That year he intercepted 3 passes for 38 return yards, and returned 20 punts (for 217 yards) and 14 kickoffs for 402 yards. He returned to the CFL Lions for 3 years and had one of his best years in 1975, when he intercepted a team high 8 passes for 88 yards. A Western All-Star in 1977, Long also led the team in punt returns in his last 3 years, and is still the 4th leading all-time returner, with 1946 yards on 192 punt returns, with one TD.

Long returned to UNM as head football coach on December 20, 1997. His overall won-loss record through the 2007 season is 61-61, including 43-31 since 2001, the best five-year stretch for Lobo football in over forty years. He is the most successful head coach in New Mexico Football history, passing Roy Johnson during the 2005 season.

Long has an overall record of 61 wins and 61 losses. He led the Lobos to three straight post-season bowl games (2003-05) for the first time in school history and the Lobos have been bowl-eligible for seven straight seasons, another record. This streak continued into the 2007 season as the Lobos accepted a bid to the New Mexico Bowl. He garnered his first bowl win as Lobo coach by beating the University of Nevada - Reno in the 2007 New Mexico Bowl.

Long and his wife Debby have two daughters, Roxanne and Hannah, who are also coaches.

[edit] Head Coaching Record

TEAM YEAR WINS LOSSES Bowl Game
New Mexico 1998 3 9
New Mexico 1999 4 7
New Mexico 2000 5 7
New Mexico 2001 6 5
New Mexico 2002 7 7 Las Vegas Bowl
New Mexico 2003 8 5 Las Vegas Bowl
New Mexico 2004 7 5 Emerald Bowl
New Mexico 2005 6 5
New Mexico 2006 6 7 New Mexico Bowl
New Mexico 2007 9 4 New Mexico Bowl
CAREER TOTAL 10 years 61 61
Preceded by
Dennis Franchione
New Mexico Head Football Coach
1998–Present
Succeeded by
Current coach

[edit] External links


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