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Johnny Long enters his seventh season on the Tennessee staff as Head Strength and Conditioning Coach.
Long's innovative and demanding conditioning regimen pushes the Vols to meet the lofty goals he sets to compete and succeed in the Southeastern Conference.
The former Olympic-caliber weightlifter began as a graduate assistant for the UT conditioning staff in 1994, and then advanced to the position of Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach two years later. He was named associate coach in 1999 before taking his current post.
He now holds the title of "Certified Collegiate Mentor" for strength and conditioning coaches across the country. In January 2004, Long served as strength coach for the Las Vegas All-American Classic all-star game.
Tennessee's emphasis on a strong fitness program is epitomized in Long, whose background in weight training underpinned his belief in the link between conditioning and athletics success. He is credited by head coach Phillip Fulmer with making physical fitness a basic component of Volunteers football.
Long also has continued the Tennessee tradition of training young coaches to advance in his profession. Roderick Moore's recent hiring at Florida International makes it 36 former Tennessee strength and conditioning coaches that have accepted head positions since Long and John Stucky took over at UT 13 years ago.
As an Olympic-caliber lifter, Long competed for 16 years before an injury halted his career at age 24. The Baton Rouge, La., native was a legend in his native state, competing in numerous Junior Olympics and national weightlifting events before coaching and instruction became his top priority.
Long was inducted in 2005 to the Louisiana Strength and Conditioning Hall of Fame.
Long, who graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1994, is a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the College Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, the U.S. Weightlifting Federation and the American Football Coaches Association. He recently became the youngest coach ever voted into the Louisiana Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Long is married to the former Misty Bumgartner of Sylva, N.C.
