Scoop27
01-30-2017, 01:36 PM
To no surprise-Jerry Long gets the job at Edna-
EDNA - Jerry Long wasn't about to miss out on a second chance to become the athletic director and head football coach at Edna.
Long received a three-year contract after getting unanimous approval from the Edna school district board of trustees Friday night at a special-called meeting.
Long, 45, comes to Edna from Corpus Christi Carroll where he spent one season before resigning.
He will replace Huey Chancellor, who retired eight days ago after three seasons at Edna.
"I think Jerry Long's resume speaks for itself," said Robert O'Connor, superintendent of the Edna school district. "His record, his work history, his reputation. Coach Chancellor came in and had to do some yeoman work as far as establishing discipline and establishing a direction and getting everybody working and moving in the same beat. We felt like Jerry would come right in in that same mold. He is a disciplinarian and pretty set in what he expects. I think our kids are used to that now so I think it will be an easy transition for them."
Long was offered the job at Edna before Chancellor was hired, but chose to remain at East Bernard, where he won a Class 2A (now 3A), Division II state championship in 2012.
"We felt like at the time it was a good situation - we liked Edna - it just wasn't time for our family," Long said. "We felt like we had unfinished business at East Bernard and obviously two years later we made another run and almost got back to the big game."
Long has been a head coach for 12 seasons at Woodsboro, East Bernard and Carroll.
He has led his teams to the playoffs in nine of those seasons, and has an overall record of 107-40.
Long stepped down at Carroll after the Tigers advanced to the Class 5A, Division I bi-district playoffs and finished with a 5-6 record.
"The Corpus move was a career move and a family move," said Long, a Woodsboro native. "We got down there and realized we're not city people, we're small-town community people. So to get the opportunity to come back to a community that was interested in me three years ago was exciting so we jumped on it."
The Cowboys advanced to the Class 3A, Division I area playoffs last season and finished with a 6-6 record.
Long's son, Thomas, played quarterback as a junior at Carroll, and the Cowboys are likely to operate out of the slot-T offense next season.
"That's what I know," Long said. "I'm a big believer in doing what you know. I think in this day and age to be successful there's a lot more to it than just X's and O's. I hope to get in here and evaluate the staff and possibly bring some people who think like me and hit the ground running."
O'Connor hopes Long will be able to begin working at Edna within the next two to three weeks.
"I think the Xs and Os take care of themselves," O'Connor said. "The big thing is can you establish a culture, can you maintain discipline, can you get kids to do things when they really don't want to do them, can you improve their work ethic. That's all about setting expectations, believing in them and enforcing them."
Long and his wife, Shelley, whose eldest son, Trevor, played at East Bernard and currently plays at Rice, are looking forward to getting started.
"You start out in this business and you have career goals," Jerry Long said. "I think the good ones all have those goals as did I and you work toward them, and then you get to that point in your career where you've accomplished some great things and I've been fortunate to and I've had really good people around me to allow me to do that. Once you've done that, it becomes about the kids and the job and things you love doing and less about trying to advance your career."
EDNA - Jerry Long wasn't about to miss out on a second chance to become the athletic director and head football coach at Edna.
Long received a three-year contract after getting unanimous approval from the Edna school district board of trustees Friday night at a special-called meeting.
Long, 45, comes to Edna from Corpus Christi Carroll where he spent one season before resigning.
He will replace Huey Chancellor, who retired eight days ago after three seasons at Edna.
"I think Jerry Long's resume speaks for itself," said Robert O'Connor, superintendent of the Edna school district. "His record, his work history, his reputation. Coach Chancellor came in and had to do some yeoman work as far as establishing discipline and establishing a direction and getting everybody working and moving in the same beat. We felt like Jerry would come right in in that same mold. He is a disciplinarian and pretty set in what he expects. I think our kids are used to that now so I think it will be an easy transition for them."
Long was offered the job at Edna before Chancellor was hired, but chose to remain at East Bernard, where he won a Class 2A (now 3A), Division II state championship in 2012.
"We felt like at the time it was a good situation - we liked Edna - it just wasn't time for our family," Long said. "We felt like we had unfinished business at East Bernard and obviously two years later we made another run and almost got back to the big game."
Long has been a head coach for 12 seasons at Woodsboro, East Bernard and Carroll.
He has led his teams to the playoffs in nine of those seasons, and has an overall record of 107-40.
Long stepped down at Carroll after the Tigers advanced to the Class 5A, Division I bi-district playoffs and finished with a 5-6 record.
"The Corpus move was a career move and a family move," said Long, a Woodsboro native. "We got down there and realized we're not city people, we're small-town community people. So to get the opportunity to come back to a community that was interested in me three years ago was exciting so we jumped on it."
The Cowboys advanced to the Class 3A, Division I area playoffs last season and finished with a 6-6 record.
Long's son, Thomas, played quarterback as a junior at Carroll, and the Cowboys are likely to operate out of the slot-T offense next season.
"That's what I know," Long said. "I'm a big believer in doing what you know. I think in this day and age to be successful there's a lot more to it than just X's and O's. I hope to get in here and evaluate the staff and possibly bring some people who think like me and hit the ground running."
O'Connor hopes Long will be able to begin working at Edna within the next two to three weeks.
"I think the Xs and Os take care of themselves," O'Connor said. "The big thing is can you establish a culture, can you maintain discipline, can you get kids to do things when they really don't want to do them, can you improve their work ethic. That's all about setting expectations, believing in them and enforcing them."
Long and his wife, Shelley, whose eldest son, Trevor, played at East Bernard and currently plays at Rice, are looking forward to getting started.
"You start out in this business and you have career goals," Jerry Long said. "I think the good ones all have those goals as did I and you work toward them, and then you get to that point in your career where you've accomplished some great things and I've been fortunate to and I've had really good people around me to allow me to do that. Once you've done that, it becomes about the kids and the job and things you love doing and less about trying to advance your career."