A few weeks ago we reported that Doug Mecham was leaving for a job with TCU, where he was the Frogs co-offensive coordinator and inside wide receivers coach from 2014 to 2016. This left a bit of a void for the St. Louis BattleHawks, as the season is right around the corner.
Just in time for training camp, the BattleHawks have announced that they have hired Chuck Long to fill Mecham’s OC role.
Long played quarterback in college at Iowa for Hayden Fry and professionally with the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
After his professional career, Long was an assistant coach at Iowa and Oklahoma before serving as the head coach at San Diego State. Long also held a position as the offensive coordinator for the Kansas Jayhawks under head coach Turner Gill.
The franchise published a release yesterday, which you can read below:
(January 11, 2020) Houston, TX– The St. Louis BattleHawks have announced that Chuck Long has replaced Doug Meacham as the offensive coordinator with the team.
“We are excited to have someone of Chuck’s caliber move into this new role,” Head Coach and General Manager Jonathan Hayes said. “We are focused on preparing for the upcoming season and I am confident Chuck will have our offense ready to compete for our goal of an XFL Championship.”
Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999, Long was an All-American at the University of Iowa and was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy after the 1985 season. Long has the distinction of playing in five bowl games for the Hawkeyes and was a teammate of Jonathan Hayes.
The 56-year old Long played eight seasons at quarterback in the NFL before returning to his alma mater of the University of Iowa to begin a coaching career which has included roles as head coach at San Diego State and offensive coordinator at both Oklahoma and Kansas University. Former teammates with the Hawkeyes, Hayes and Long coached together on the 2000 Oklahoma national championship team.
Besides serving as offensive coordinator, Long will also be responsible for coaching the BattleHawks’ quarterbacks. Reggie Davis has been hired to take over Long’s previous duties as running backs coach.
A former tight end with the San Diego Chargers, Davis moved into the coaching ranks with the University of San Diego in 2004 and has been part of the coaching staff with the San Francisco 49ers, UNLV, Oregon State, and Nebraska.
