American football player (born 1934)
American football player
Robert Wendell Long (born February 24, 1934) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams , Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys . He played college football at the University of California at Los Angeles .
Early life
Long attended South Pasadena High School , before moving on to the University of California at Los Angeles . In 1954, he was a part of the team that shared the national championship with Ohio State University .
Professional career
Los Angeles Rams
Long was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round (18th overall) of the 1955 NFL Draft . On October 2, he was traded to the Detroit Lions in exchange for a draft choice.[1]
Detroit Lions
The converted Long from a defensive end into a linebacker . In 1957 , he was a starter at linebacker for the NFL Championship winning team.[2] On July 20, 1960 , he was traded along with a first round draft choice (#10-Bobby Crespino ), to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for quarterback Jim Ninowski .[3]
Cleveland Browns
On August 17, 1960 , he was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for offensive end Leon Clarke .[4]
Los Angeles Rams
In 1960 , he played in 9 games. In 1961 , he played in 13 games. He was released on September 4, 1962 .[5] On September 7, he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys along with defensive tackle John Meyers , in exchange for a third round draft choice (#32-Willie Brown).[6]
Dallas Cowboys
In 1962 , he was a backup linebacker , appearing in 8 games.
Personal life
In 1983, he was an assistant football coach at Kansas State University .[7]
References