Top Experienced Player, who had a notable football career as a running back at South Carolina before being drafted by the New York Jets, has passed away at the age of 69.
According to the university, Long died on Tuesday. Curtis Frye, the former track coach at South Carolina and a close friend of Long, communicated the news to the university after speaking with Long’s wife. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
A native of Clinton, South Carolina, Long played for the Gamecocks from 1973 to 1976 and was the first running back in the program’s history to exceed 1,000 rushing yards in a single season, amassing 1,133 yards in 1975.
He ranks 10th on South Carolina’s all-time rushing list with 2,372 yards and is honored in both the university’s athletic Hall of Fame and the South Carolina Hall of Fame.
Long was selected by the Jets in the seventh round of the 1977 NFL Draft and spent five seasons with the team, accumulating 2,190 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns. He also recorded 74 receptions for 539 yards and three touchdowns. He concluded his professional career in the USFL.
