Editing Howie Long (section)

==College career==
Long played [[college football]] for the [[Villanova Wildcats football|Villanova Wildcats]] near [[Philadelphia]] and earned a degree in communications. A four-year letterman for the [[Villanova Wildcats football|Wildcats]], he was selected to play in the [[Blue–Gray Football Classic]] and was named the MVP in 1980. As a freshman, Long started every game and had 99 tackles. As a sophomore in 1978, Long led Villanova in sacks with five and recorded 78 tackles. The next season, Long sustained a thigh injury, missed three games, and ended the season with 46 tackles. As a senior in 1980, Long again led the Wildcats with four sacks and had 84 tackles. He began as a [[tight end]] but was moved to the defensive line, playing mostly nose guard his first two seasons.  After moving to defensive end, he earned All-East honors and was honorable mention [[1980 College Football All-America Team|All-American]] in his senior year.<ref>1982 [[Los Angeles Raiders]] [[Media Guide]]</ref> Long also boxed at Villanova and was the Northern Collegiate Heavyweight Boxing Champion.{{citation needed|date = November 2013}}