Rocky Long enters his first season with the Skyhawks in 2024.
Long, who brought the 3-3-5 defense to prominence and has mentored over 30 NFL Draft picks including Pro Football Hall of Fame selection Brian Urlacher, joins the Skyhawks after spending last season as the defensive coordinator at Syracuse University, an NCAA Division I Power-Five program and member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Prior to Syracuse, Long spent three seasons as the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of New Mexico.
A 1971 graduate of New Mexico, Long spent 11 seasons at San Diego State University including nine as head coach (2011-19) where he boasted four 10-win seasons, amassed the second-most wins of any coach at San Deigo State, and guided the Aztecs to nine straight bowl games. In addition, Long’s teams have been bowl-eligible in 16 of the last 17 seasons.
Long began his head coaching career at his alma mater when he was hired as the Lobos’ 28th head football coach in 1998. During his 11-year tenure at UNM, Long became the winningest head coach in Mountain West Conference history, the winningest head coach in New Mexico History, and had the Lobos bowl eligible from 2001 to 2007 featuring three straight bowl games from 2003-05: both program records.
Before his head coach career, Long also had stints guiding defenses at UCLA (1996-97), Oregon State (1991-95), and Wyoming (1981-85) at the collegiate level. He has also coached the secondary for TCU (1988-90) and New Mexico (1979-80). His one professional coaching stop was with the BC Lions of the CFL, where he coached linebackers in 1986-87.
As a player, Long was the starting quarterback for the Lobos from 1969 to 1971 and guided UNM to consecutive winning seasons while also earning Player of the Year honors from the Western Athletic Conference in 1971. Long went on to play in 68 games for the BC Lions in the CFL before alongside a one-year stint with the Detroit Wheels of the WFL.
