Fred T. Long

Fred Thomas Pop Pops Big Long was an African American professional baseball player in the Negro Leagues and a college football coach. He was the head football coach at four historically black colleges and universities in Texas between 1921 and 1965, compiling a career record of 22715131. He was the head coach at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas foryears from 1923 to 1947 and again from 1956 to 1965. He led the Wiley Wildcats football team to three black college football national championships in 1928, 1932, and 1945.

Fred Long was born in Decatur, Illinois to Hinton A. Cook Long and his wife Idlean Long. He graduated from Decatur High School in 1913 and entered Millikin University in Decatur in the spring of 1915. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and Finance in less than four years, becoming the first African American to graduate from Millikin University. He was a star athlete while at Millikin, lettering in football and baseball . The LongVanderburg Scholars Program at Millikin University is named for him and Millikins first AfricanAmerican female graduate, Marian Vanderburg. He was joined at Millikin in the fall of 1915 by his brother Harry Long who had graduated from Decatur High School that spring. Fred entered the Army after graduation and served two years.

Source: Wikipedia