Time to end the ‘Long era’
Time’s up.
For six straight weeks, CSC football fans have watched as the Eagles have tried but failed to win a game, with each loss cutting a little deeper.
In last weekend’s Homecoming game against Colorado School of Mines, the coaching staff and players appeared to give up on the sidelines during the second half of the game as the offense struggled to move beyond the 50-yard line into Oredigger territory.
At 0-5 with six games remaining, many fans, including us, are wondering if we’ll win a game this year much less enjoy a winning season.
Our doubts aren’t new, arising from this year’s dismal start.
Under Head Coach lay Long and his staff, the Eagles have posted seven winning seasons since his arrival in 2012. But three of those seven seasons the Eagles barely made it, finishing each at 6-5. Overall Long’s record of 60-43 at Chadron is .582 and the Eagles haven’t sniffed a shot at the RMAC title much less a shot at the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Even though Long has been un-able to lead the Eagles to victory in the RMAC, the Nebraska State College System (NSCS) has continually given him a pay raise every year.
When he started in 2012, Long was paid $78,275. This year, he was contracted to earn $105,754. He is the highest paid head coach in the athletic department and yet he is bringing in the least numbers of wins right now.
According to the CSC athletics website, Long’s highlights include:
> CSC having “the No. 1 third-down conversion percentage in the nation in 2013, along with the league’s best rushing offense and fewest sacks allowed.”
> The team led the conference for the second consecutive season in sacks allowed and third-down conversions in 2014, had the best net kickoff average, and was second in scoring average.”
> “The 2015 team again led the league in kickoff coverage and had the second best pass defense.”
> The Eagles were the top passing defense in the RMAC, allowing only 179.5 yards per game through the air in 2016.”
> “In 2017 the team led the RMAC in kickoff return average, net punting, opponent fourth-down percentage, and were second in sacks produced and red zone defense.”
> “The Eagles offense in 2018 gained the fourth-most yards per game in program history, and its average yards per rushing attempt was seventh-best all-time.”
> “In 2019 the Eagles boasted the No. 2 offense in the RMAC and the 21st total offense in NCAA Division II.”
> “CSC was one of only 10 NCAA Division II programs nationwide to take the field in the fall of 2020.”
Those are impressive statistics.
But at 0-5 with six games remaining, it appears only Fort Lewis and Adams State are opponents the Eagles likely can beat to finish this season at 2-9.
In light of Scott Frost’s firing three weeks ago with a 1-2 record this season and a 3-9 record last year, this state’s football fans have a low tolerance for losing.
Because we are a smaller school, are we expected to lower our standards for what should be considered a successful football team?
With a losing season looming as we speak; we think it might be time that Charon State starts looking toward a new future. One that might not include Long,
Football is one of the biggest recruiting opportunities for the college. If we continue to drop within the conference, what is stopping new recruits – players that could bring a lot of talent to the team from signing with a different school because of our current ranking?
Chadron State football is the pride and joy of the college and the Chadron community. We feel that it should be treated as such.
While it’s easy to understand that every team has a bad season, the current track the Eagles are on needs to change.
Yes, the Eagles lost some real talent after last season, but there are still plenty of players on this team who can match it. Those changes can only be an excuse for our lack of wins for so long
It is time to acknowledge what many have been ignoring and admit that Long is failing the team. It’s time to bring the ‘Long era to an end.
Personally I think you should keep your opinions to yourself, now if you were a formal football coach your statements would have some credibility. But you have no clue what you’re talking about and no clue what coach long does for our program.
As a member of the eagle staff, who has worked for CU football, coaches high school football while being a full time student who has taken Long’s coaching class. I feel that I am qualified to talk about coaching. As well as my own opinion I have talked with my brother who played football under coach Long. I am aware of exactly how he coaches. And the rest of the staff whose opinions contributed to the article’s creation all know as well.
Coach Long’s tenure needs to come to an end. The facts stated in this article are proof of that. He has failed a once elite and highly respectable program, and the fact that he may be the only one who doesn’t see that, proves his arrogance and pride just might be getting in the way of realizing that.
It is a disgrace to see the direction he has placed the program in. The best seasons in his career as the head coach at Chadron State have been at the heels of what the previous head coach and his staff brought in to the program. Once those recruits went through the program there has been a steady decline in production of wins.
The coaches Coach Long has hired are also proof of his inability to be a head coach that is leading the program in the direction of being a winning program. Have you read their bios and experience in D2 football? What about Coach Long’s head coach win/loss record at Black Hills State, he was not successful there either. Let’s talk about some of the young men that have been recruited by Coach Long and his staff – convicted rapists, we see their names in court records for drug charges, and most recently fire arms charges.
The football program is currently at the lowest it has been in DECADES. Yet Coach Long and his staff celebrate a win over Fort Lewis like they won the Super Bowl.
We as a community expect better and deserve better from what once was a highly respected and successful program. The current program is a disgrace to this community.
Has anyone listened to the Jay Long Show from 10/11/22, where he comments about this article? He essentially discredits the opinions of those who wrote it because they are 18-22 year-olds. He mentions this twice. Isn’t it 18-22 year-olds that he coaches, that he services? I wonder if their thoughts and opinions don’t matter to him either? He should be ashamed & embarrassed for stating this and he also should be held accountable.
He starts off his comments by immediately trying to brag himself up, bringing up his win record – which is the first clue that he his trying to back pedal himself out of the condition he has led the football program to. Any coach who has been at Chadron as long as he has would have a similar record, but probably better. He tries to take credit for the 9-3 season, which was erased, and then brings up the greater than 8-win seasons he as had. Those seasons were all right after he came, and those players had not been recruited under his leadership, and they had been coached and developed by the previous head coach and his staff. After those first 3 seasons, there has been an obvious decline in the football program. Long even goes so far as say “we have made it to the playoffs”. ONCE they have made it to the playoffs, the first year he was in Chadron, again the year the wins were erased. They have not made it to the playoffs since. That is not acceptable. For that reason alone his time in Chadron should be up. He has not taken a team to the playoffs in 10 years.
He continues to make excuses after excuses after excuses. The quarterback situation every 4 years, that they are a “developmental program”, scholarship disparity. Well, Coach Long, the coaches before you had the same issues you are making excuses with, but they were better than you, and found ways despite of those issues to build winning teams, winning programs and make it to the playoffs. Enough is enough.
The numbers of people attending the games is also down, printed right there in black & white in the box score articles about the games.
Chadron State is in the lower half of the RMAC standings, when they used to be consistently in the top 3. And this is now acceptable for Chadron State Football?? Their “tough schedule” (more excuses) did not put them there. Even if they win their last two games, they will still have a losing season, and will still be in the lower half of the RMAC standings. Not acceptable. No other coach at Chadron State for any of the other sports programs would have been given as many years as Coach Long to do what he is not getting done. Why is that?