Fred T. Long
Encyclopedia
Fred Thomas "Pop" "Pops" "Big" Long (January 22, 1896 – March 23, 1966) was an African American
professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues
and a college football coach. He was the head football coach at four historically black colleges and universities
in Texas between 1921 and 1965, compiling a career record of 227–151–31. He was the head coach at Wiley College
in Marshall, Texas
for 35 years from 1923 to 1947 and again from 1956 to 1965. He led the Wiley Wildcats football team to three black college football national championship
s in 1928, 1932, and 1945.
to Hinton A. "Cook" Long and his wife Idlean Long. He graduated from Decatur High School in 1913 and entered Millikin University
in Decatur in the spring of 1915. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and Finance in less than four years, becoming the first African American
to graduate from Millikin University. He was a star athlete while at Millikin, lettering in football (1915–1917) and baseball (1916–1918). The Long-Vanderburg Scholars Program at Millikin University
is named for him and Millikin's first African-American female graduate, Marian Vanderburg. He was joined at Millikin in the fall of 1915 by his brother Harry Long
who had graduated from Decatur High School that spring. Fred entered the Army after graduation and served two years.
of the newly formed Negro National League. He returned to the Stars again in 1921 and one more season in 1926 as a reserve outfielder. He also played outfield for the Indianapolis ABCs
during the 1925 season, a total of four seasons in the Negro National League.
s in 1928, 1932, and 1945. During that same period he also served as athletic director for the colleges he worked for and often coached every sport those schools offered including track, baseball, basketball, tennis, and golf. He was elected to the presidency of the Southwest Athletic Conference
(SWAC) on three occasions. Long began his football coaching career at Paul Quinn College
from 1921–1922, then continued at Wiley College
located in Marshall, Texas
from 1923–1947 and again from 1956–1965, at Texas College
from 1949–1955 and was the sixth head college football
coach
for the Prairie View A&M University Panthers
located in Prairie View, Texas
for the 1948 season. His overall record in 45 years as college football head coach was 227-151-31 His career coaching record at Prairie View was 6 wins, 4 losses, and 1 ties. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks him 11th at Prairie View in total wins and seventh at Prairie View in winning percentage (.591).
In 1925, Long helped inaugurate the State Fair Classic
during the State Fair of Texas
matching his Wiley Wildcat team against Langston University
each year until 1929 when Langston was replaced by Prairie View. The game was always on Negro Day of the state fair and soon was drawing in excess of 20,000 fans to the Cotton Bowl (stadium)
. In 1948, after Long had left Wiley and was at Prairie View, he was honored at half-time of the game and given a Buick automobile by members of the Fred Long Anniversary committee to celebrate his then 25 years of coaching in the Southwestern Conference.
On November 11, 1961, Long, with 215 coaching victories at the time, coached Wiley College
against Southern University
, coached by Ace Mumford
who had 232 coaching victories, in the first known college football match-up in which both coaches had over 200 victories. Long's Wiley team won, 21-19.
During his long tenure at Wiley College
, Long also served as Athletic Director and the Fred Thomas Long Student Union building there is named in his honor.
Hall of Fame. He became a charter member of the Millikin University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970, the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and Southwestern Athletic Conference
Hall of Fame in 2001. On January 11, 2010, Fred T. Long was posthumously honored with the American Football Coaches Association
(AFCA) 2009 Trailblazer Award.
Long died on March 23, 1966 in Texas.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues
Negro league baseball
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams predominantly made up of African Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be used narrowly for the seven relatively successful leagues beginning in...
and a college football coach. He was the head football coach at four historically black colleges and universities
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
in Texas between 1921 and 1965, compiling a career record of 227–151–31. He was the head coach at Wiley College
Wiley College
Wiley College is a four-year, private, historically black, liberal arts college located on the west side of Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is notable as one of the oldest predominantly...
in Marshall, Texas
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
for 35 years from 1923 to 1947 and again from 1956 to 1965. He led the Wiley Wildcats football team to three black college football national championship
Black college football national championship
The black college football national championship is a mythical national championship won by the best black college football team in the United States of America. There has been some criticism of this title on the grounds that the schools in the various polls compete in different levels of...
s in 1928, 1932, and 1945.
Early life and education
Fred Long was born in Decatur, IllinoisDecatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
to Hinton A. "Cook" Long and his wife Idlean Long. He graduated from Decatur High School in 1913 and entered Millikin University
Millikin University
Millikin University is an American co-educational, comprehensive, private, four-year university with traditional undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, fine arts, and professional studies, as well as non-traditional, adult degree-completion programs and graduate programs in...
in Decatur in the spring of 1915. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and Finance in less than four years, becoming the first African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
to graduate from Millikin University. He was a star athlete while at Millikin, lettering in football (1915–1917) and baseball (1916–1918). The Long-Vanderburg Scholars Program at Millikin University
Millikin University
Millikin University is an American co-educational, comprehensive, private, four-year university with traditional undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, fine arts, and professional studies, as well as non-traditional, adult degree-completion programs and graduate programs in...
is named for him and Millikin's first African-American female graduate, Marian Vanderburg. He was joined at Millikin in the fall of 1915 by his brother Harry Long
Harry Long
Harry J. "Little" Long was a college football coach and professor of biology and brother of Fred T. Long. He was born in Decatur, Illinois and graduated from Decatur High School in 1915. He enrolled at the James Millikin University in the fall of 1915 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree...
who had graduated from Decatur High School that spring. Fred entered the Army after graduation and served two years.
Professional baseball career
In 1920, Fred Long became an outfielder for the Detroit StarsDetroit Stars
The Detroit Stars were a United States baseball team in the Negro leagues and played at historic Mack Park.- Founding :Founded in 1919 by Tenny Blount with the help of Rube Foster, owner and manager of the Chicago American Giants, the Detroit Stars immediately established themselves as one of the...
of the newly formed Negro National League. He returned to the Stars again in 1921 and one more season in 1926 as a reserve outfielder. He also played outfield for the Indianapolis ABCs
Indianapolis ABCs
The Indianapolis ABCs were a Negro League baseball team that played both as an independent club and as a charter member of the first Negro National League . They claimed the western championship of black baseball in 1915 and 1916, and finished second in the 1922 NNL...
during the 1925 season, a total of four seasons in the Negro National League.
College coaching career
Fred Long's legendary college football coaching career spanned 45 years from 1921 to 1965. During that long career his teams captured several conference championships and at least a share of three Black college football national championshipBlack college football national championship
The black college football national championship is a mythical national championship won by the best black college football team in the United States of America. There has been some criticism of this title on the grounds that the schools in the various polls compete in different levels of...
s in 1928, 1932, and 1945. During that same period he also served as athletic director for the colleges he worked for and often coached every sport those schools offered including track, baseball, basketball, tennis, and golf. He was elected to the presidency of the Southwest Athletic Conference
Southwest Athletic Conference
The Southwest Conference was a college athletic conference in the United States from 1914 to 1996. It consisted of schools mostly in the state of Texas and one in Arkansas, with historical members in Oklahoma....
(SWAC) on three occasions. Long began his football coaching career at Paul Quinn College
Paul Quinn College
Paul Quinn College is a private, historically black college located in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas, Texas . Paul Quinn College holds the distinction as the oldest historically black college in the country west of the Mississippi River...
from 1921–1922, then continued at Wiley College
Wiley College
Wiley College is a four-year, private, historically black, liberal arts college located on the west side of Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is notable as one of the oldest predominantly...
located in Marshall, Texas
Marshall, Texas
Marshall is a city in Harrison County in the northeastern corner of Texas. Marshall is a major cultural and educational center in East Texas and the tri-state area. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Marshall was about 23,523...
from 1923–1947 and again from 1956–1965, at Texas College
Texas College
Texas College is a historically black four-year college located in Tyler, Texas that is affiliated with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and the United Negro College Fund...
from 1949–1955 and was the sixth head college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
coach
for the Prairie View A&M University Panthers
Prairie View A&M University
Prairie View A&M University is a historically black university located in Prairie View, Texas and is a member of the Texas A&M University System. PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees in 50 academic majors, 37 master’s degrees and four doctoral degree programs through nine colleges and schools...
located in Prairie View, Texas
Prairie View, Texas
Prairie View is a city in Waller County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,410 at the 2000 census.Prairie View A&M University is located in the city.-Geography:Prairie View is located at ....
for the 1948 season. His overall record in 45 years as college football head coach was 227-151-31 His career coaching record at Prairie View was 6 wins, 4 losses, and 1 ties. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks him 11th at Prairie View in total wins and seventh at Prairie View in winning percentage (.591).
In 1925, Long helped inaugurate the State Fair Classic
State Fair Classic
The State Fair Classic is an annual college football game between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Prairie View A&M University Panthers. The game's official title is the Southwest Airlines State Fair Classic after its sponsor, Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. This game has also been...
during the State Fair of Texas
State Fair of Texas
The State Fair of Texas is an annual state fair held in Dallas, Texas . The fair season usually begins the last Friday in September and ends 24 days later. The fair is held at the historic Fair Park where it has been held since 1886. The 2012 State Fair of Texas will run from September 28th...
matching his Wiley Wildcat team against Langston University
Langston University
Langston University is an institution of higher learning located in Langston, Oklahoma, USA. It is the only historically black college in the state, and the westernmost historically black college in the United States...
each year until 1929 when Langston was replaced by Prairie View. The game was always on Negro Day of the state fair and soon was drawing in excess of 20,000 fans to the Cotton Bowl (stadium)
Cotton Bowl (stadium)
The Cotton Bowl is a stadium which opened in 1929 and became known as "The House That Doak Built" due to the immense crowds that former SMU running back Doak Walker drew to the stadium during his college career in the late 1940s. Originally known as Fair Park Stadium, it is located in Fair Park,...
. In 1948, after Long had left Wiley and was at Prairie View, he was honored at half-time of the game and given a Buick automobile by members of the Fred Long Anniversary committee to celebrate his then 25 years of coaching in the Southwestern Conference.
On November 11, 1961, Long, with 215 coaching victories at the time, coached Wiley College
Wiley College
Wiley College is a four-year, private, historically black, liberal arts college located on the west side of Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is notable as one of the oldest predominantly...
against Southern University
Southern University
Southern University and A&M College is a historically black college located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Baton Rouge campus is located on Scott’s Bluff overlooking the Mississippi River in the northern section...
, coached by Ace Mumford
Ace Mumford
Arnett W. "Ace" Mumford was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at historically black colleges and universities in Texas and Louisiana from 1924 to 1961, compiling a career college football record of 233–85–23...
who had 232 coaching victories, in the first known college football match-up in which both coaches had over 200 victories. Long's Wiley team won, 21-19.
During his long tenure at Wiley College
Wiley College
Wiley College is a four-year, private, historically black, liberal arts college located on the west side of Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is notable as one of the oldest predominantly...
, Long also served as Athletic Director and the Fred Thomas Long Student Union building there is named in his honor.
Honors and death
In 1962, Long was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate AthleticsNational Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
Hall of Fame. He became a charter member of the Millikin University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970, the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and Southwestern Athletic Conference
Southwestern Athletic Conference
The Southwestern Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black universities in the Southern United States...
Hall of Fame in 2001. On January 11, 2010, Fred T. Long was posthumously honored with the American Football Coaches Association
American Football Coaches Association
The American Football Coaches Association is an association of over 11,000 football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "maintain the highest possible standards in football and the profession of...
(AFCA) 2009 Trailblazer Award.
Long died on March 23, 1966 in Texas.