Kettering native, Arkansas AD Jeff Long fired by university

Jeff Long, a Kettering native, was fired by the University of Arkansas on Wednesday where he had served as athletic director for 10 years.

ESPN reported school leadership lost confidence in Long after the Razorbacks lost to Missouri and Mississippi State.

Arkansas will continue to pay Long through the length of his contract, which runs through 2022.

Long’s firing signals the end for football coach Bret Bielema, who surprised many by leaving Wisconsin for Arkansas in 2012. He’s struggled since changing programs and with the firing of his main supporter, Long, he’s also expected to be fired.

Long was the first chair of the College Football Playoff committee. He will remain as a member until his term expires in February. Members of the committee voted unanimously to invite Long to stay through February, which he accepted.

Long was born in Kettering. He played quarterback at Ohio Wesleyan, before becoming a graduate assistant at Miami, where earned his Master’s in Education.

He was athletic director at Eastern Kentucky, then senior associate athletic director at Pittsburgh from 2003-07. He was hired by Arkansas in 2008 and hired Bobby Petrino as football coach in a controversial move. Petrino was fired by Long in 2012 after it was revealed following a motorcycle accident that Petrino was having an extramarital affair with a former Arkansas volleyball player who was later hired to a staff position with the program.

He may have a new job soon - in October the website Omaha.com reported Long was on a list of candidates to take over as AD at Nebraska.

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