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So long Twenty years later, Howie proves he's worthy
ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- Howie Long is polished. His hair is just right, his smile bright. He's a household name -- for his on-field legend and his television work. But there's more to him than meets the eye. He worked his way into mainstream America. He overcame a tough-as-nails childhood. He overcame his own fears after being drafted by the "old" Oakland Raiders. In short, Long survived -- and succeeded. The first time Long stepped into the Raiders locker room, he felt unworthy to pull on the silver-and-black uniform. "Excellence was the benchmark and anything short of that was unacceptable," Long said. Two decades later, Long will show that he more than belonged. He joins Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Dave Wilcox and Pittsburgh owner Dan Rooney for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Long was a long shot to play in the NFL, much less be considered one of the game's best. Long never played organized team sports until he was 15. He grew up in the tough, blue-collar town of Charlestown, Mass. His parents divorced when he was 12 and he went to live with his grandmother and a succession of aunts and uncles. Though he was 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds as a sophomore, Long was as shocked as anyone when he excelled at football. He went on to Villanova University, hardly a major-college football power. Long became one of the top players on the team -- and won a Northern Collegiate boxing championship -- but few scouts noticed him because of the Wildcats' mediocre program. But he opened their eyes when he was selected as the MVP in the 1980 Blue-Gray all-star game. Selected in the second round of the NFL draft by the Raiders -- and seen as a raw project -- Long pulled off another surprise when he made one of the league's best teams as a rookie.
The Raiders' defensive line coach, Earl Leggett, was a big reason why. "I think there was a possibility he still would have been around in the third round," Leggett said. "Nobody was really after him." But Leggett pushed Al Davis and the rest of the Raiders' staff into taking Long. Leggett saw something in Long that few others did. Other players were bigger and quicker, but few were as smart, fast and strong as Long. "I'd like to think I was a good combination of the three," Long said. He was also driven to be better instead of satisfied with the past. "I never seemed to enjoy any success," he said. "I was never happy with my play. I never allowed myself the luxury of enjoying a particular game or particular season." With Leggett schooling him, Long grew into the role of intimidating defensive end and tackle. "He built me from the ground up to be a complete football player," Long said of Leggett. But Long also learned from the Raiders' veterans, such as Art Shell and Gene Upshaw.
"The Raider way was 'the old bring up the young,'" Long said. By his second year, Long was a starter. In his third season, the Raiders won the Super Bowl and Long was chosen for the first of his eight Pro Bowls. Teammate Matt Millen said, "There are guys who are bigger, guys who are stronger, guys who are meaner. But none of them puts it together the way he does. Nobody has his blend. He does everything." Long never missed a game due to injury until midway through the 1986 season, ending a streak of 81 consecutive games played. After sitting out three games, he played so well thereafter that he was voted the NFL's defensive player of the year by fans and a national media panel. Long, a father of three and now an NFL analyst on television, never forgot the feeling of awe from that first visit to the Raiders locker room. And he never forgot how his teammates made him a better player. "When you are around those types of players, it allows you in the back of your mind to dream a little bit of someday being mentioned in the same breath with them," Long said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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