His father is a doctor. Both grandfathers were doctors. His mother is a chemist. His twin brother, Jake, also a Nebraska graduate, is studying to be a doctor.
And that leads to the overwhelming question: What is Spencer Long doing in uniform for the Washington Redskins, risking broken bones, torn ligaments, concussions and long-term cognitive problems, in order to be the team’s starting center?
“I love the game, and you’ve got to do it while you can, while you’re young,” said Long. “I had goals I wanted to accomplish in this game. I don’t want to stop.”
That’s the first question. The second question is how does a football player in a nationally renowned program such as Nebraska have the time to study something as demanding as biology?
Check out the majors of some players at some of the most academically notable universities, and you’ll find a plethora of far less demanding courses of study.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The thing is, athletes often are directed into subject areas that won’t conflict with practice and training.
Biology, with its mandatory labs, is one of those majors with conflicts.
That the Long brothers — Jake was a tight end at Nebraska — earned biology degrees is a credit to them and the Nebraska football program.
“Our staff at Nebraska was pretty good at making sure academics came first,” said Long. “You had to have them in line in order to get on field to play.
“That was one thing. The other was taking all labs and hard classes when I was young, before I had a huge team impact. I took all my stuff that was most time consuming in my freshman and sophomore years before I really became a starter.
“I don’t know if we even planned that. It just kind of happened. It worked out really well. Buy the time I got developed and started starting in my third year, I had gotten most of my night labs and hard classes out of the way, like organic chemistry.”
Organic chemistry often is the line of demarcation for future medical students. Apparently, it’s headache-inducingly difficult and can turn potential medical school students to other disciplines.
“Physics was the hardest subject for me,” said Long. “Organic chemistry was something I could do a little better. It wasn’t that easy. I’m not saying that. But it wasn’t something I particularly struggled with. Physics was. I’m kind of a pictorial learner and drawing organic chemistry problems. .. . I think, I was a little better at that than trying to figure out buoyancy or something like that.”
Long, 6-foot-5, 318 pounds, wasn’t feeling too buoyant Tuesday afternoon. He got sick and left the afternoon practice early.
Physics are in his past, and now Long has to figure out opposing defenses.
He has to get to the line, look quickly at what’s in front of him and make a decision on any changes that must be made in the blocking schemes. It sounds simple, but it requires years of preparation, followed by hours of study.
Long takes work home with him several nights a week during the season. It’s either that or stammer in meetings when offensive line coach Bill Callahan calls out defensive formations and Long must reply with the necessary adjustments almost instantaneously.
Coaches don’t like stammering when immediate decisions must be made and communicated to the four other offensive linemen.
It’s also a time when a 3.79 GPA in biology is of little help.
“Football is different than school,” said Long. “It’s X’s and O’s. It’s like chess. It took me a long time to become football smart, and that just came with study and experience. It’s not like somebody who’s a genius in classroom is going to walk in and go ‘OK, I have a football mind now.’ It just doesn’t work that way. It’s a totally different concept.”
Meanwhile, medical school has gone from a certainty to a concept.
Long, 26, has found a lucrative work situation — he’ll make almost $1.8 million this year on top of the $2.1 million he’s made for his three previous seasons.
“Possibly,” Long said of attending medical school. “It’s always been a dream of mine since I was a kid. It depends on how long I play.
“If I end up playing for double digit years or something like that, I’ll reassess it. Med school is a big commitment.”
Either way, the smart money is on Long to make the right call, on and off the field.
Replies