(Le Mars) — Iowa Hawkeye football legend, Chuck Long was the key-note speaker at last evening’s (Tuesday) North West Rural Electric Cooperative annual meeting held in Le Mars. Long was the quarterback with the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 1980’s,
and along with coach Hayden Fry, led the Hawkeyes to the Rose Bowl and was in contention for the national championship. Long shared an inspirational message with the power utility cooperative members with his 16 life lessons.
Long mixed the motivational messages along with stories from his football playing and coaching career. He expands on his two major lessons of life.
The former college and pro quarterback says his life was greatly influenced by Coach Hayden Fry and his assistants such as Bill Synder, Barry Alvarez, Dan McCarty, Bob Stoops, and Kirk Ferenz who all have gone on to coach at other colleges with great success.
With the assistance of Aaron Putze, the Heisman Trophy runner-up has written a book talking about his football career. Long says what separated Hayden Fry and many of his assistants from other football coaches, is that they
showed leadership abilities and offered a personal touch with those around them.
Long talks about the collaboration he had with Aaron Putze when writing and creating the book.
Long now serves as the executive director of the Iowa Sports Foundation, an entity that promotes amateur athletic competition among all ages, abilities, along with healthy living.
Long grew up in Wheaton, Illinois, has family members in Oklahoma and had lived there for a while, but when people ask what he considers as home, he proudly responds, “I am an Iowan!”
