OKLAHOMA SENIOR ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR (Odds)

Jeff Long joined the Sooner family as senior associate athletic director on Dec. 8, 2000, after a two-year stint as the athletics director at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Ky.

In two years at Eastern Kentucky, Long established a number of programs and added additional staff to improve the overall athletics department. He first developed the Student Academic Success Center which provided student-athletes academic support through computer labs, supervised study areas, individual and group tutorial areas and offices for academic advisors. He also introduced the Student-Athlete Assembly Program, published the school's first student-athlete handbook and reestablished the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Long's commitment to the student-athletes was also evident in the hiring of additional academic advisors and secretarial support staff.

As senior associate AD at Oklahoma, Long is familiar with the ways of Big 12 rival Kansas. ... He worked with current KU football coach Mark Mangino for a year at OU.

Long's determination to improve the competitiveness of the Colonels was highlighted by the development of several athletic facility projects such as the Classroom and Conditioning Building. The facility included an all-sports Olympic weight room and a state-of-the-art training room, as well as offices and meeting rooms for the football program. He also hired the first school's strength and conditioning coach.

Long also headed up the marketing partnership with Daktronics which resulted in the first on-campus Division I AA video scoreboard for Roy Kidd Stadium at no expenditure of institutional funds.

Long may have a tie to KU through Mangino, but leaving a basketball and football school for a basketball-only one may not be that inviting.

Long brought administrative and coaching experience to Oklahoma from his stops at several other universities. Before EKU, he served a brief period at Virginia Tech as associate athletic director. The majority of Long's career in intercollegiate athletic administration came at Michigan. Hired by UM's legendary coach and athletics director, Bo Schembechler, Long's duties included sponsorship of the first on-campus Kickoff Classic in 1995 and administrative liaison for 11 football bowl games, including the 1997 National Championship. He also served as administrative liaison for three men's basketball Final Fours, including one national championship and three Ice Hockey Frozen Fours, which resulted in two National Championships.

Long has also held administrative and coaching positions at Rice, Duke and North Carolina State.

He is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Athletics Directors, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the American Football Coaches Association and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association, as well as several other professional organizations.

Long is a 1982 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan and he earned a master's degree in education from Miami (Ohio) in 1983. While at Miami, he served as a graduate assistant football coach.

A native of Kettering, Ohio, Long is married to the former Fanny Gellrich. The couple has two children, Stephanie (6) and Christina (17 months).

—Courtesy of Oklahoma Sports Information.