JOHN SHIFFLETT Charlottesville Daily Progress
Chris Long has lived and played football in some of America’s biggest cities.
But Central Virginia is my home.
Long grew up here and won the state championship in high school football at St. Anne’s-Belfield under coach John Blake before starting an All-American college career at the University of Virginia.
After a long NFL career that included winning two Super Bowls and being named the 2018 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Long has remained home to Central Virginia not only for himself and his family, but also for the Chris Long Foundation and his podcast “Green Light.”
“I’m proud of this place,” Long said Thursday before throwing out the first pitch for the Charlottesville Tom Sox’s Valley League home game against the Staunton Braves at Charlottesville High School. “I live here for a reason.”
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In addition to his charitable work, Long also wants to give back to the Central Virginia football community that shaped him. He recently hosted the Big Man Bash football camp at St. Anne’s-Belfield with former UVa teammate Heath Miller, who was recently named head coach of the Saints.
“There’s a lot of good football in Central Virginia,” Long said. “We had a big man camp that was really meant to serve all the big men here, no matter what school they go to, and we had kids from William Monroe, Madison and all those places. I just want people here to be proud of the football that’s played here because there are some really good athletes here, and that includes the private school level.”
Long is happy to have Miller take on the coaching role at St. Anne’s-Belfield, especially because he believes it could help increase football participation at his alma mater.
“I think it’s good for football when the numbers go up in general,” Long said. “Parents might say, ‘Hey, I don’t know who’s going to coach my kid.’ (At STAB), I know exactly who’s going to coach your kid. He’s a legend.”
“And he’s a legend as a person, too. And that’s what it’s about. At the youth level, it’s more about the person, but when you have a guy who knows the schemes, who can teach the guys things he’s done before, and who has a connection with the kids, it’s going to be great.”
Central Virginia often returns the love to Long. The community has supported him and his foundation, which advocates for access to clean water and educational equity, since its inception.
“If we don’t have that community, we have nothing from the foundation’s perspective,” Long said. “We work in other cities, of course. Philly was great, St. Louis was great, Boston was great, but this is the backbone. We had our first event here about 10 years ago and they’ve always come.”
