DECATUR, Ill. – Millikin University alumnus and Big Blue Athletics legend Fred ‘Pop’ Long will be enshrined in the Black College Football Hall of Fame on June 7, 2025. Long graduated from Millikin in June 1918, as the university’s first African American graduate, and the Long-Vanderburg Scholarship is named in his honor.
Before earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and Finance, Long was a star athlete on the Football and Baseball teams, helping the football team earn it's first undefeated football season (8-0-1) in 1916. Long is also a charter member of the Big Blue Athletic Hall of Fame in both sports.
Long's graduation came during World War I, and he joined the Army, serving until 1920. After his service, he became a professional baseball player for the Detroit Stars of the National Negro League for two seasons.
At the age of 25, Long began his long and storied coaching career, going on to become the head coach of four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – Paul Quinn College (Dallas, Texas), Wiley University (Marshall, Texas), Prairie View A&M (Prairie View, Texas), and Texas College, (Tyler, Texas) – from 1921 to 1965.
Long amassed a career record of 224–145–31, including three Black College National championships in 1928, 1932, and 1945 while at Wiley College. His teams also won 10 Southwestern Athletic Conference championships.
The Black College Football Hall of Fame (BCFHOF) honors college football players, coaches, and contributors from HBCUs. It was founded in 2009 in Atlanta, and the museum is located within the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Long was selected out of 28 finalists by the BCFHOF committee, comprised of prominent journalists, commentators, historians, former NFL General Managers and executives, and BCFHOF members. The Class of 2025 will be honored in a ceremony in Atlanta and they were recognized at halftime of the Allstate HBCU Legacy Bowl at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans on Feb. 22.
Other inductees in the Class of 2025 include Henry Dyer (Grambling State University), Rashean Mathis (Bethune-Cookman University), Jacquay Nunnally (Florida A&M University), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Tennessee State University), and Jay “Sky” Walker (Howard University).
“What we have with the Class of 2025 is an incredible showcase of the talent that has come from Historically Black Colleges and Universities over the years,” said Black College Football Hall of Fame Co-Founder and 2011 Inductee Doug Williams. “When the Black College Hall of Fame was established, its purpose was to do just this, elevating and recognizing the past, present, and future of Black College Football. Congratulations to the Class of 2025.”
Long’s coaching career has also been honored with induction into several collegiate hall of fames, including the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame, the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame, and the Southwestern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame. He was awarded the American Football Coaches Association Trailblazer Award in 2009.
