Harry Long
Encyclopedia
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 in 1919, having majored in Biology and minored in Mathematics. He completed his Master of Arts degree in biology at Columbia University
in New York
in 1928 and was working on completing his Doctorate at the University of Michigan
before his untimely death in 1945.
Harry began his coaching career at Prairie View
in 1919 and then coached at Langston University
in Oklahoma
in 1922 before taking over at Paul Quinn College
in 1923 when his brother Fred left Paul Quinn for Wiley College
. Harry became head football coach at Paul Quinn for the next four seasons (1923–1927). In 1924 Paul Quinn tied Tuskegee 0-0 and earned a share of the Black college football national championship
. He was the fifth head college football
coach for the Tennessee State University Tigers
located in Nashville, Tennessee
and he held that position for the 1928 season. His career coaching record at Tennessee State was 0 wins, 4 losses, and 1 ties. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks him 19th at Tennessee State in total wins and 20th at Tennessee State in winning percentage (0.100). He left Tennessee State in 1929 to join his brother Fred's staff at Wiley College
and head up that college's biology department.
On December 8, 1945, as the Wiley College
Wildcats were playing Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic
in Tampa, Florida for the Black college football national championship
Harry Long, who was still an assistant coach on his brother's staff, suffered a fatal heart attack on the sidelines during the first quarter of the game and died. The Wildcats still went on to defeat Florida A&M by a score of 32-6 and won the national title for 1945.
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 and professor of biology and brother of Fred T. Long
Fred T. Long
Fred Thomas "Pop" "Pops" "Big" Long 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...
. He was born in Decatur, Illinois
Decatur, 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,...
and graduated from Decatur High School in 1915. He enrolled at the James 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 the fall of 1915 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1919, having majored in Biology and minored in Mathematics. He completed his Master of Arts degree in biology at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1928 and was working on completing his Doctorate at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
before his untimely death in 1945.
Harry began his coaching career at Prairie View
Prairie View
Prairie View may refer to:in the United States*Prairie View, Illinois*Prairie View, Kansas*Prairie View , listed on the NRHP in Missouri*Prairie View, Texas**Prairie View A&M University...
in 1919 and then coached at 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...
in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
in 1922 before taking over 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...
in 1923 when his brother Fred left Paul Quinn for 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...
. Harry became head football coach at Paul Quinn for the next four seasons (1923–1927). In 1924 Paul Quinn tied Tuskegee 0-0 and earned a share of the 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...
. He was the fifth 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 Tennessee State University Tigers
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
located in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
and he held that position for the 1928 season. His career coaching record at Tennessee State was 0 wins, 4 losses, and 1 ties. As of the conclusion of the 2007 season, this ranks him 19th at Tennessee State in total wins and 20th at Tennessee State in winning percentage (0.100). He left Tennessee State in 1929 to join his brother Fred's staff 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...
and head up that college's biology department.
On December 8, 1945, as the 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...
Wildcats were playing Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Classic
Orange Blossom Classic
The Orange Blossom Classic was an annual postseason college football game held between 1933 and 1978. Each year, it featured Florida A&M and another historically black school in an unofficial de facto championship game., The New York Times, February 3, 2007, retrieved February 7, 2009. It was seen...
in Tampa, Florida for the 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...
Harry Long, who was still an assistant coach on his brother's staff, suffered a fatal heart attack on the sidelines during the first quarter of the game and died. The Wildcats still went on to defeat Florida A&M by a score of 32-6 and won the national title for 1945.