Kettering native named athletic director at Big 12 school

Jeff Long spent 10 years at Arkansas before losing his job last year

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

The University of Kansas hired Kettering native Jeff Long, a 1978 Fairmont East graduate, as director of athletics on Thursday.

Long spent 10 years as the athletic director at Arkansas before being fired in December. At Kansas, he replaces Sheahon Zenger, who was fired in May after seven years.

In 2014, Long told the Dayton Daily News he developed his love of sports growing up in Ohio. He attended his first college basketball game at the UD Fieldhouse.

“My fondest memories are playing football for Fairmont East and playing against Fairmont West,” Long said. “I had the pleasure of beating them both my junior and senior years. Coach Dick Hoppe was there, and Rusty Clifford was my coach. I just thoroughly enjoyed that experience. I played football and baseball in high school and went on to do the same thing at Ohio Wesleyan.”

» RELATED: Long on list of top Fairmont East players

During his time at Arkansas, Long served as the chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee in 2014 and 2015. He remained a member of the committee through 2017.

Long also has ties to Miami University. He earned his master’s degree there and worked as a graduate assistant coach with the football team. He followed Miami head coach Tom Reed to North Carolina State and worked there for 3½ years as a recruiting coordinator.

Long moved into athletic administration work at Michigan in 1988 and worked there for 10 years. After stops at Virginia Tech, Eastern Kentucky and Oklahoma State, he was hired as athletic director at Pittsburgh in 2003 and worked there until 2007.

During his tenures at Arkansas and Pittsburgh, Long helped schedule men’s basketball series between both schools and the Dayton Flyers.

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