On Tuesday night, January 13, the Bayfield School District Board of Education officially ushered in a new era of Wolverine football by approving the hiring of legendary college football coach Rocky Long as the next head coach at Bayfield High School.
Long, one of the most respected defensive minds in the game and a coach with more than four decades of experience at every level of football, now brings his leadership and football pedigree to Wolverine Country Stadium.
“Rocky Long is as close to football royalty as you get in this part of the country,” said Bayfield High School Athletic Director Andy Duffy. “We are thrilled that he chose to become a Wolverine, and it is incredible to think he is going to write the next chapter of his legendary coaching story right here in Bayfield.”
His coaching résumé is among the most accomplished in college football. Long is widely credited with popularizing the 3-3-5 defensive scheme and has mentored more than 30 NFL Draft picks, including Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher. During nine seasons as head coach at San Diego State University from 2011–19, Long led the Aztecs to four 10-win seasons and nine consecutive bowl appearances, becoming one of the most successful coaches in program history. Earlier, during an 11-year tenure at the University of New Mexico, he became the winningest head coach in Mountain West Conference and Lobo history, guiding the program to seven consecutive bowl-eligible seasons.
Long arrives in Bayfield after most recently serving as defensive coordinator at Syracuse University, a Power Five program in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Before that, he spent three seasons as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at the University of New Mexico.
Despite a career that spans major college football and professional leagues in both the United States and Canada, Long said the opportunity to coach at Bayfield High School was a natural next step.
“We’ve had a condo in Durango for 30 years, and that has always been my wife’s favorite place,” Long said. “When I finished up at Syracuse, we moved to Durango, and I just can’t sit around and do nothing. I helped out at Fort Lewis and coached at Durango High last year, and when Bayfield opened up, I applied and they were nice enough to interview me. That’s how it all happened.”
For Long, the appeal of high school football goes beyond the Friday night lights.
“I wanted to be more involved with the entire school and team and system,” he said. “If you have good assistant coaches, the head coach doesn’t have to do much coaching — you just have to make sure they’re coaching the right stuff.”
That process is already underway. The school board also approved the hiring of four assistant coaches — Emmitt Dorsey, Glenn Wallace, Cael Schaefer and Brian Williams — allowing Long to begin building his staff when their contracts begin July 1.
“I hope that we’re able to give the young people who decide to play a really good experience,” he said. “They’re going to put a lot of time and effort into trying to win some games — and it’s a lot more fun if you win.”
Long brings not only elite experience but also a genuine enthusiasm for helping young athletes grow. He understands that success will take time, but he is encouraged by the foundation already in place.
“It takes some time for the coaches and players to get on the same page,” Long said. “But I’m really excited because their youth program has won a couple of championships. Those kids are going to be in the high school pretty soon.”
Duffy believes the combination of Long’s experience and Bayfield’s community support will be transformative.
“We are incredibly fortunate to have attracted a coach of his caliber to rebuild the Wolverine football program,” Duffy said. “I can’t wait to see him lead our players into Wolverine Country Stadium under the Friday night lights this fall.”
With one of college football’s most respected coaches setting up shop in Bayfield, the future of Wolverine football has never looked brighter.