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{{Short description|American football player, actor, and sports analyst (born 1960)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name        = Howie Long
| image       = Howie Long 2022 (cropped).jpg
| image_size  =
| alt         = 
| caption     = Long in 2022
| number      = 75
| position    = [[Defensive end]]
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1960|1|6}}
| birth_place = [[Somerville, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| death_date  = 
| death_place = 
| height_ft   = 6
| height_in   = 5
| weight_lb   = 265
| high_school = [[Milford High School (Massachusetts)|Milford]] {{avoid wrap|([[Milford, Massachusetts]])}}
| college     = [[Villanova Wildcats football|Villanova]] (1977–1980)
| draftyear   = 1981
| draftround  = 2
| draftpick   = 48
| pastteams   =
* [[Oakland Raiders|Oakland]] / [[Los Angeles Raiders]] ({{NFL Year|1981|1993}})
| highlights  =
* [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl XVIII|XVIII]])
* [[Newspaper Enterprise Association NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award|''NEA'' NFL co-Defensive Player of the Year]] (1985)
* 3× First-team [[All-Pro]] ([[1983 All-Pro Team|1983]]–[[1985 All-Pro Team|1985]])
* 2× Second-team All-Pro ([[1986 All-Pro Team|1986]], [[1989 All-Pro Team|1989]])
* 8× [[Pro Bowl]] ([[1984 Pro Bowl|1983]]–[[1988 Pro Bowl|1987]], [[1990 Pro Bowl|1989]], [[1993 Pro Bowl|1992]], [[1994 Pro Bowl|1993]])
* [[NFL 1980s All-Decade Team]]
* First-team All-[[Big East Conference|East]] ([[1980 All-East football team|1980]])
| statlabel1  = [[Quarterback sack|Sacks]]
| statvalue1  = 93
| statlabel2  = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue2  = 10
| statlabel3  = [[Interception]]s
| statvalue3  = 2
| statlabel4  = Interception yards
| statvalue4  = 84
| pfr         = LongHo00
| HOF         = howie-long 
}}

'''Howard Matthew Moses Long''' (born January 6, 1960)<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2019/01/06/UPI-Almanac-for-Sunday-Jan-6-2019/8591546568650/ |title= UPI Almanac for Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019|work=[[United Press International]]|date=January 6, 2019|access-date=September 10, 2019|archive-date=September 11, 2019 |archive-url= https://archive.today/20190911222236/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/2019/01/06/UPI-Almanac-for-Sunday-Jan-6-2019/8591546568650/|url-status=live|quote= Hall of Fame football player/actor/broadcaster Howie Long in 1960 (age 59)}}</ref> is an American former professional [[American football|football]] [[defensive end]] who played in the [[National Football League]] (NFL) for 13 seasons with the [[Las Vegas Raiders|Raiders]] franchise. He played [[college football]] for the [[Villanova Wildcats football|Villanova Wildcats]] and was selected by the Raiders in the second round of the [[1981 NFL draft]], spending his first season with the team in [[Oakland Raiders|Oakland]] and the remainder of his career in [[Los Angeles Raiders|Los Angeles]]. Long received eight [[Pro Bowl]] and three first-team [[All-Pro]] selections while helping the team win [[Super Bowl XVIII]]. He was inducted into the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] in 2000.

After retiring, Long pursued a career in acting and broadcasting and serves as a studio analyst for [[Fox Sports]]' NFL coverage.

==Early life==

Born in [[Somerville, Massachusetts]], Long was raised in [[Charlestown, Boston]],<ref>{{cite web|last1=Doherty|first1=Bob|title=The Somerville Times Historical Fact of the Week – January 8|url=http://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/45620#more-45620|website=[[The Somerville Times]]|access-date=November 15, 2016|date=January 8, 2014}}</ref> primarily by his uncles and maternal grandmother.<ref name=sivpz85>{{cite magazine |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1985/07/22/the-long-way-up |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Zimmerman |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Zimmerman (sportswriter)|title=The long way up |date=July 22, 1985 |page=60}}</ref>

He attended [[Milford High School (Massachusetts)|Milford High School]] in [[Milford, Massachusetts|Milford, Worcester County, Massachusetts]],<ref name=sivpz85/> and is a member of the Milford Hall of Fame. Long was an all-around athlete, playing football (lettered three years and was named to the Scholastic Coach All-America team as a senior, although he had never played football until age 15), basketball (lettered three years as a forward), and track (lettered three years, competing in the [[shot put]], [[discus]], and javelin). Long also set state records in the shot put and discus.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}

==College career==
Long played [[college football]] for the [[Villanova Wildcats football|Villanova Wildcats]] near [[Philadelphia]] and earned a degree in communications. A four-year letterman for the [[Villanova Wildcats football|Wildcats]], he was selected to play in the [[Blue–Gray Football Classic]] and was named the MVP in 1980. As a freshman, Long started every game and had 99 tackles. As a sophomore in 1978, Long led Villanova in sacks with five and recorded 78 tackles. The next season, Long sustained a thigh injury, missed three games, and ended the season with 46 tackles. As a senior in 1980, Long again led the Wildcats with four sacks and had 84 tackles. He began as a [[tight end]] but was moved to the defensive line, playing mostly nose guard his first two seasons.  After moving to defensive end, he earned All-East honors and was honorable mention [[1980 College Football All-America Team|All-American]] in his senior year.<ref>1982 [[Los Angeles Raiders]] [[Media Guide]]</ref> Long also boxed at Villanova and was the Northern Collegiate Heavyweight Boxing Champion.{{citation needed|date = November 2013}}

==Professional career==
Selected in the second round of the [[1981 NFL draft]] by the [[1981 Oakland Raiders season|Oakland Raiders]], Long played 13 seasons for the club, wearing the number 75. On the Raiders defensive line, Long earned eight [[Pro Bowl]] selections.

He had high aspirations early in his career. He told'' [[Football Digest]]'' in 1986 that he wanted "Financial security, and I want to be President. That's my goal. And I'd like to win a few more Super Bowls."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usd.edu/~jhenriqu/web/howie/digest.html |title=Football Digest, June, 1986 |publisher=Usd.edu |access-date=May 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070909112927/http://www.usd.edu/~jhenriqu/web/howie/digest.html |archive-date=September 9, 2007}}</ref> Along the way, he was also named first-team All-Pro three times (in [[1983 All-Pro Team|1983]], [[1984 All-Pro Team|'84]], and [[1985 All-Pro Team|'85]]) and second-team All-Pro twice (in [[1986 All-Pro Team|1986]] and [[1989 All-Pro Team|1989]]). He was selected by [[John Madden]] to the [[John Madden#All-Madden|All-Madden]] teams in 1984 and 1985 and was named to the 10th Anniversary All-Madden team in 1994.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

Long was voted the [[NFL Alumni]] Defensive Lineman of the Year and the [[NFLPA]] AFC Defensive Lineman of the Year in 1985. He capped off a stellar 1985 season earning the [[Newspaper Enterprise Association NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award|George Halas Trophy]] for having been voted the NEA's co-NFL Defensive Player of the Year (along with [[Andre Tippett]]). He was also named the Seagrams' Seven Crown NFL Defensive Player of the year. The following year, Long was voted the Miller Lite NFL Defensive Lineman of the Year. Both those awards were taken by polls of NFL players. In 1986, Long was voted to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl and was key in helping the Raiders record 63 sacks and being the number one defense in the AFC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tabSeq=2&defensiveStatisticCategory=GAME_STATS&conference=ALL&role=OPP&season=1986&seasonType=REG&d-447263-s=TOTAL_YARDS_GAME_AVG&d-447263-o=1&d-447263-n=1 |title=NFL.com |website=[[NFL.com]] |access-date=May 1, 2013}}</ref> From 1983 to 1986 the Raiders defense recorded 249 sacks, which tied with the Chicago Bears for tops in the NFL over that span.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

Long collected 91{{frac|2}} sacks during his career (7{{frac|2}} are not official, as sacks were not an official statistic during his rookie year).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=133 |title=Pro Football Hall of Fame.com |publisher=Profootballhof.com |access-date=May 1, 2013}}</ref> His career high was in 1983 with 13 sacks, including a career-high five against the Washington Redskins on October 2, 1983. He also intercepted two passes and recovered 10 fumbles during his 13-year career. At the time of his retirement, he was the last player still with the team who had been a Raider before the franchise moved to Los Angeles. He won the [[Super Bowl XVIII]] title as the left defensive end with the Raiders (1983 season), beating the [[Washington Commanders|Washington Redskins]], as he outplayed the opposing offensive tackle, [[George Starke]]; the vaunted Washington running game led by [[John Riggins]] had only 90 yards in 32 rush attempts.

Long's signature defensive move was the "rip," which employed a quick, uppercut-like motion designed to break an opposing blocker's grip.{{citation needed|date = November 2013}}

[[Pro Football Weekly]] (PFW) named Long as one of the ends on its All-time 3–4 defensive front, along with [[Lee Roy Selmon]], [[Curley Culp]], [[Lawrence Taylor]], [[Andre Tippett]], [[Randy Gradishar]], and [[Harry Carson]]. PFW based its "Ultimate 3–4" team on the vote of over 40 former NFL players, coaches, and scouts.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.profootballweekly.com/NR/rdonlyres/ewxay3cliypdlcaw755aavhd5xhtrpmjsh7j7vbw6quayxvpvziksis5yyhd6hgu2e4xnyx6rxcpckurbbvnfywxycf/V22Iss29.pdf |title=Hard-Nosed|journal=[[Pro Football Weekly]] |volume=22 |issue=29 |date=January 21, 2008|page=16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080229103814/http://www.profootballweekly.com/NR/rdonlyres/ewxay3cliypdlcaw755aavhd5xhtrpmjsh7j7vbw6quayxvpvziksis5yyhd6hgu2e4xnyx6rxcpckurbbvnfywxycf/V22Iss29.pdf|archive-date=February 29, 2008|issn=0032-9053|last=Borges|first=Ron|author-link=Ron Borges}}</ref>

==After football==
=== Broadcasting ===
In March 1986, Long told ''[[Inside Sports]]'': 
{{cquote|"When I'm finished playing, I'd like to stay in touch with football, through broadcasting. I'm qualified to give a certain perspective and I'm articulate enough to handle it."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usd.edu/~jhenriqu/web/howie/inside.html |title=<nowiki>[</nowiki>Interview with Howie Long<nowiki>]</nowiki> |interviewer=Stu Black | work=Inside Sports |date= March 1986 |via=Usd.edu |access-date=May 1, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070909113332/http://www.usd.edu/~jhenriqu/web/howie/inside.html |archive-date=September 9, 2007}}</ref>}}

After his retirement from the [[National Football League|NFL]] following the [[1993 NFL season|1993]] season, in 1994 Long began as a studio analyst for the [[Fox NFL Sunday|Fox Network's NFL coverage]], where he often plays the "[[double act|straight man]]" to the comic antics of co-host [[Terry Bradshaw]]. 

For a time in the early 2000s, he hosted an annual award show on Fox, ''Howie Long's Tough Guys'', which honored the NFL players whom he deemed the toughest, awarding "the toughest" a [[Chevrolet]] truck.{{cn|date=December 2025}}  He also wrote a column for [[Foxsports.com]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Column archive| url=http://msn.foxsports.com/writer/archive?authorId=92 | website=FoxSports.com | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012061024/http://msn.foxsports.com/writer/archive?authorId=92 |archive-date=October 12, 2007}}</ref>

Long won a [[Sports Emmy Award]] in 1996 as "Outstanding Sports Personality/Analyst".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/Howie_Long/187420 |title=Howie Long biography |publisher=Hollywood.com |access-date=May 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907202454/http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/187420/Howie_Long |archive-date=September 7, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Acting ===
Long also pursued an acting career after his retirement, focused mainly on [[action film]]s — including ''[[Firestorm (1998 film)|Firestorm]]'', a 1998 feature in which he starred. He also appeared as a co-star in ''[[Broken Arrow (1996 film)|Broken Arrow]]'', alongside star [[John Travolta]]. He played a minor role in the movie ''[[3000 Miles to Graceland]]'' alongside [[Kevin Costner]], [[Kurt Russell]] and [[Courteney Cox]]. In ''[[That Thing You Do!]]'' (1996), Long appears as Mr. White's (Tom Hanks) "partner" Lloyd in the extended cut of the movie, released on DVD in 2007. Long's part was entirely cut from the theatrical release.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/28059/that-thing-you-do-the-directors-cut/ |title=DVD Talk.com |publisher=DVD Talk.com |access-date=May 1, 2013}}</ref>

In the movie ''[[Broken Arrow (1996 film)|Broken Arrow]]'', Long became associated with a popular stock sound effect; during his character's death scene, the sound effect is used, which became known as the [[Howie scream]].<ref name="Howie Long">{{Cite web | title = Top 10 Movie Sound Effects We All Recognize | url = http://listverse.com/2009/09/25/top-10-movie-sound-effects-we-all-recognize/ | website= listverse.com| date= September 25, 2009 | accessdate = 23 January 2011 | archive-date = 21 January 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110121034218/http://listverse.com/2009/09/25/top-10-movie-sound-effects-we-all-recognize/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

Long has also made numerous [[cameo appearance]]s on [[television series|TV shows]] and [[television commercials|commercials]]. Long was a spokesman for [[Radio Shack]], making commercials with actress [[Teri Hatcher]]. He has been featured in many other national commercials and advertising campaigns, including those of [[Coors Brewing Company|Coors]] Light, [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], [[Campbell Soup Company|Campbell's Chunky Soup]], [[Hanes]], [[Frito Lay]], [[The Coca-Cola Company|Coca-Cola]], [[PepsiCo|Pepsi]], [[Pizza Hut]], [[Taco Bell]], [[Nabisco]], [[Kraft Foods|Kraft]], the [[Bud Bowl]] campaign, [[Honda]], and currently for [[Chevrolet]].{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

==== Filmography ====
* ''[[Gringo mojado|In 'N Out]]'' (1984) – Groom
* ''[[Broken Arrow (1996 film)|Broken Arrow]]'' (1996) – Kelly
* ''[[Firestorm (1998 film)|Firestorm]]'' (1998) – Jesse
* ''[[Dollar for the Dead]]'' (1998) – Reager
* ''[[3000 Miles to Graceland]]'' (2001) – Jack

==Personal life==
Long met his future wife Diane Addonizio during his freshman year at Villanova; they married in 1982,<ref name=sivpz85/> and they have three sons. The eldest, [[Chris Long|Chris]], is a retired [[defensive end]], who played for the [[St. Louis Rams]], [[New England Patriots]], and [[Philadelphia Eagles]], winning two [[Super Bowl]]s in his own right. The middle son, [[Kyle Long|Kyle]], is a [[Guard (gridiron football)|guard]] who played for the [[Chicago Bears]], and played one season for the Kansas City Chiefs after signing with them in March 2021.<ref>{{cite web|last=Farrar|first=Doug|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/chicago-bears-select-oregon-ot-kyle-long-20th-023204368--nfl.html|title=Chicago Bears select Oregon OT Kyle Long with the 20th overall pick|publisher=[[Yahoo! Sports]]|date=April 25, 2013|access-date=April 25, 2013}}</ref> His youngest, Howie Jr., works in player personnel for the Raiders.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.raiders.com/team/administration.html|title=Oakland Raiders - Administrative Staff|website=raiders.com}}</ref>

Long is a [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]].<ref>{{cite news | first=Jerry | last=Ratcliffe | date=April 16, 2011 | url=http://www.dailyprogress.com/sports/long-and-bradshaw-a-bond-strong-as-brothers/article_351990ea-61ad-55f2-b477-1da8aec83170.html | title=Long and Bradshaw: A bond strong as brothers | work=[[The Daily Progress]] | location=[[Charlottesville, Virginia]] | access-date=May 2, 2013}}</ref> He is an alumnus of, and volunteers his time for, the [[Boys and Girls Clubs of America]].{{cn|date=December 2025}}

Long is the author (with John Czarnecki) of ''Football for Dummies'' (2003), a book to help average fans understand the basics of professional football; it is part of the ''[[For Dummies]]'' series by Wiley Publishing.

==Awards and honors==
'''NFL'''
*[[Super Bowl XVIII]] champion
*Three-time First-Team [[All-Pro]]
*Eight-time [[Pro Bowl]] selection
*[[NFL 1980s All-Decade Team]]

'''[[Sports Emmy Awards]]'''
*1996 - [[Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Event Analyst|Studio Analyst]]

'''Halls of Fame'''
*[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] (2000)

In addition, Long was named the 2000 [[Walter Camp Man of the Year]] by the [[Walter Camp Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Man of the Year – Walter Camp Football Foundation |url=https://waltercamp.org/man-of-the-year/ |website=waltercamp.org |access-date=6 June 2024 |language=en}}</ref>

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last=Long  |first=Howie | first2=John |last2=Czarnecki |year=2007 |orig-year=2003 |title=Football for Dummies |edition=3rd |location=New York |publisher=Wiley |ISBN=978-0-470-12536-6}}

==References==
{{Reflist|3}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{Profootballhof|id=133|name=Howie Long}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0518989|name=Howie Long}}

{{Navboxes
| title = 
| list1 =
{{Raiders1981DraftPicks}}
{{Super Bowl XVIII}}
{{NFL1980s}}
{{2000 Football HOF}}
{{Pro Football Hall of Fame members}}
{{Walter Camp Man of the Year}}
{{Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Analyst}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Howie}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American Conference Pro Bowl players]]
[[Category:American football defensive ends]]
[[Category:American television sports commentators]]
[[Category:Catholics from Massachusetts]]
[[Category:College football announcers]]
[[Category:Fox Sports 1 people]]
[[Category:Long family (American football)]]
[[Category:Los Angeles Raiders players]]
[[Category:NFL announcers]]
[[Category:NFL Europe broadcasters]]
[[Category:Oakland Raiders players]]
[[Category:People from Charlestown, Boston]]
[[Category:People from Milford, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Boston]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Worcester County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Sports Emmy Award winners]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Somerville, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Villanova Wildcats football players]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Middlesex County, Massachusetts]]