| Years at Northeast: | 1977 |
| Sports: | Baseball |
| Occupation: | Student-Athlete |
Jerry Long continued a stellar baseball career when he arrived on the campus of then-Northeast Mississippi Junior College after transferring from Delta State University.
Long led coach William Southward’s club in numerous statistical categories during his sophomore campaign of 1977. He paced the Tigers with eight home runs, 35 RBIs, 40 hits and a solid .500 batting average.
He was voted by his teammates as Northeast’s Most Valuable Player and also received Mississippi Junior College Conference All-State status for his efforts with the Tigers.
Long, who won back-to-back state championships at Iuka High School as well from 1973-74, signed a scholarship with the University of North Alabama following his lone season with the Tigers. He became a two-year starter at shortstop and in the outfield for the Lions and coach Mike Galloway.
He compiled a .302 batting average with 10 home runs, 10 stolen bases and 25 RBIs as a senior at North Alabama. His long ball total was the second best in the rugged Gulf South Conference.
Long became the first athlete in program history to be named the GSC Player of the Week on April 19, 1980 when he helped the Lions defeat top ranked Birmingham Southern (Ala.) College with a pair of home runs.
He completed tryout sessions with the Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) before returning to his hometown to serve as the baseball coach at Iuka High School.
Long won over 200 ballgames and played for a state championship three times within a period of seven years. He was selected as the statewide Coach of the Year by The Clarion-Ledger after directing the 1989 edition of the Chieftains to the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 2A title.
He became the head baseball and slowpitch softball coach at Tishomingo County High School after consolidation in 1991. Long’s squads have played for multiple MHSAA Class 4A North Half crowns during his tenure with the Braves.
Long is one of only a handful of coaches in the Magnolia State to win over 1,000 games during his 30-year career. He reached the milestone on September 22, 2011 with an extra inning victory over Amory High School on the slowpitch softball diamond.
Over 40 of his baseball players have received collegiate scholarships, including former Northeast standouts Blake Holley, Ricky Lambert, Wes Dotson and Seth Kennedy.
Long was a 2006 inductee into the Crossroads Diamond Club Hall of Fame and a 2013 honoree for the Northeast Mississippi Coaches Association for Better Baseball (NEMCABB) Hall of Fame.