AZTEC FOOTBALL'S ROCKY LONG SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION

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Long agrees to deal to coach San Diego State through the 2022 season

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

April 11, 2018 (San Diego) - Rocky Long, the all-time winningest coach in Mountain West history and the only three-time MW Coach of the Year, has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him as the San Diego State head football coach through the 2022 season, SDSU Director of Athletics John David Wicker announced Wednesday.

With the extension, Long has five years remaining on his current contract.

Long is coming off his seventh season as head coach of the Aztecs and 10th year overall. Long has helped guide SDSU to a bowl game each of the last eight campaigns, making San Diego State one of only 17 schools nationally and one of just two programs in the Group of 5 to play in a bowl game in the past eight seasons.

The Aztecs finished 10-3 last year, posting a 2-0 record against Power 5 teams, including a 20-17 win over then No. 19/19 Stanford on Sept. 16. SDSU was ranked as high as 19th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll a year ago.

Under Long, San Diego State has three consecutive seasons with at least 10 victories for the first time in program history. Additionally, the Aztecs are one of just seven FBS schools to win at least 10 games in each of the last three seasons, joining Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Wisconsin. Since Long took over as head coach for SDSU in 2011, San Diego State’s 64 wins are tied for the 16th most in FBS play.

Long is also one of six head coaches to lead his team to double-digit wins in each of the last three years and one of eight active FBS head coaches to lead their current program to a bowl game in each of their first seven seasons.

In his career, Long has gone 129-98 (.568) over his 18 seasons, including a 64-29 (.688) record as head coach with the Aztecs. He is the second winningest football coach in school history (Don Coryell, 104) and has guided SDSU to seven of its 16 bowl game appearances in school history.

Prior to joining SDSU in 2009 as a defensive coordinator, Long had a school-record 65 victories at New Mexico from 1998-2008, where he led the Lobos to five bowl game appearances over his final seven seasons. To put that accomplishment in perspective, consider that since 1984; UNM is 86-183 (.320) with only five six-plus win seasons in 23 campaigns without Long at the helm.

Before accepting the head coaching position at New Mexico, Long served as defensive coordinator for 12 seasons at three different schools (UCLA from 1996-97, Oregon State from 1991-95 and Wyoming from 1981-85). He also was an assistant coach at TCU, with the CFL's British Columbia team and started his career as a graduate assistant coach in 1972.

Rocky Long Year-by-Year Head Coaching Record at San Diego State

Year              Record           League          MW Finish     Bowl Game

2011                 8-5                   4-3                   4th                     New Orleans Bowl vs. Louisiana-Lafayette (L, 30-32)

2012 *              9-4                   7-1                   T-1st                  Poinsettia Bowl vs. Brigham Young (L, 6-23)

2013                 8-5                   6-2                   2nd (MW West)    Famous Idaho Potato Bowl vs. Buffalo (W, 49-24)

2014                 7-6                   5-3                   T-1st (MW West)  Poinsettia Bowl vs. Navy (L, 16-17)

2015 *              11-3                 8-0                   1st                     Hawai’i Bowl vs. Cincinnati (W, 42-7)

2016 *              11-3                 6-2                   1st                     Las Vegas Bowl vs. Houston (W, 34-10)

2017                 10-3                 6-2                   2nd (MW West)    Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army West Point (L, 35-42)

7 Years         64-29 (.688)  42-13 (.764)  3 MW Championships

* - indicates Mountain West champions

FBS Coaches to Guide Their Team to 10+ Victories Each of the Last Three Seasons

Paul Chryst, Wisconsin

Mike Gundy, Oklahoma State

Rocky Long, San Diego State

Urban Meyer, Ohio State

Nick Saban, Alabama

Dabo Sweeny, Clemson


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