Legendary coach Long named Black College Football Hall of Fame Finalist
Wiley University's legendary football coach Fred "Pop" T. Long is one of 28 finalists for the Black College Football Hall of Fame, the organization announced Thursday.
Long was selected from over 200 nominees by a 10-member committee composed of prominent journalists, commentators, historians, and former National Football League general managers and executives.
The Class of 2024 will be announced on December 14. They will be recognized for the first time at the Allstate Historically Black Colleges and Universities Legacy Bowl in New Orleans on February 24. They will be formally inducted on June 8 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Long made Wiley into a powerhouse in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. He led them to SWAC titles in 1923, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1944, 1945, 1956, and 1957. The Wildcats won the Black College Football National Championship in 1928, 1932 and 1945.
In his 35 seasons, he led Wiley to 189 victories and coached 27 All-Americans. Long won 224 games in 43 years with stops at Paul Quinn College, Prairie View A&M University and Texas College. He was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1962.
Long passed away in 1966 but his legacy lives on. He was inducted as a charter member into his alma mater Milikin University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1970. In 1996, he was inducted into the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame. The Southwestern Athletic Conference inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 2001. In January 2010, he was honored with the 2009 American Football Coaches Association Trailblazer award.
Wiley inducted Long in its inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame Class in 2012. It also named the student union building in his honor.
About the Wiley University Athletic Program
Wiley University sponsors 10 varsity teams and is a member of the NAIA, competing in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference and Continental Athletic Conference.
About the Black College Football Hall of Fame
The Black College Football Hall of Fame was founded in 2009 by African-American pioneers, quarterbacks James Harris and Doug Williams to preserve the history and honor the greatest football players, coaches and contributors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). There have been over 100 Inductees since inception, including Mel Blount, James Harris, Willie Lanier, Art Shell and Doug Williams, who serve as Trustees.
The Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) soon will have a permanent home at the Pro Football Hall of Fame (PFHOF) to tell the story of HBCUs.