FRACKVILLE - Carson Long did something very few people thought possible in the early 1970s when he was playing high school football at North Schuylkill under the late legendary coach Robert Oravitz.
Long earned an athletic scholarship to an NCAA Division I football program as a kicking specialist. What made the feat even more unrealistic was that Long kicked the ball in the old, conventional manner - straight ahead.
Soccer-style kicking was starting to come into vogue, but Long was just the opposite. Eventually, the Spartans star two-way player had every major college in the country knocking at his doorstep for his services.
There was the Southeast Conference, the old Big 8, the Big 10, all the Florida schools, schools from the state of Washington and Penn State, which was a major independent at the time.
"I loved John Skorpan. He played outside linebacker at the time for Penn State and he was my idol," Long said. "I really wanted to go and play for Penn State. I loved Joe Paterno and he recruited me.
"You know every time we played Penn State, Joe would come to me and ask how my mother, my grandmother and my Aunt Ann were doing. He was a genuine person. I loved Joe Paterno."
Long chose the University of Pittsburgh, which was in a massive rebuilding program under Johnny Majors. The choice proved to be a beneficial one for Long, as the Panthers went on to win the national championship behind Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett during Long's senior year.
Long's talents earned him second-team All-America honors. He went on to play in the National Football League, kicking for the Buffalo Bills in 1977.
On Saturday, Oct. 10, Long will receive the ultimate honor for a Pennsylvania athlete, as he will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the Holiday Inn East in Harrisburg.
Long was inducted into the Jerry Wolman-Northern Anthracite Chapter of the Hall of Fame in 1985, and was recommended for induction into the state Hall of Fame by the local chapter.
Fans who wish to attend the state induction can obtain tickets by contacting Norb Turnbach or Bob Kane. Tickets cost $45 apiece.
"This another great honor for our chapter," Jerry Wolman-Northern Anthracite Chapter president Don Bricker said. "Without a doubt, our chapter has had its share of state members being inducted, and Carson without question deserves to be in the state Hall of Fame."
A humble person, Long has never taken credit for his tremendous accomplishments. He said he had a lot of help along the way to stardom.
"I never thought that possible," Long said, referring to playing in the NFL. "You know you never take all the credit. There are people who help you along the way and I will never forget my high school coach, Mr. Bob Oravitz.
"He instilled in me something I though never would become possible, getting to play Division I football as a kicker!"
Oravitz was ahead of his time as a coach. He was often referred to as the "Golden General" when he coached at North Schuylkill. An innovator who believed strongly in the kicking game, he instilled a vision and a passion in Long to work at being a kicker and convinced him it would pay off some day.
"Coach saw something in me when I was a seventh- or eighth-grader," Long said. "He told me that if I work at kicking I could some day earn a scholarship."
Long credits his brother, Jesse, for being with him every kick along the way.
"I had a bag of balls coach gave me," Long recalled. "Jesse and I would go up to the old football field atop Ashland (where North Schuylkill first played its home games) and we would get inside the stadium and he would hold the ball for me while I kicked."
It didn't matter if it was raining, sleeting or snowing, Long and his brother routinely went to the stadium so Carson could perfect his skills. Even on Christmas Day, Carson would get his brother and off they want.
"If there was snow on the ground, we'd shovel it off," Long said. "Whatever it took, I just wanted to go out and kick the ball to become better at it."
Those long hours eventually turned into rewards. Long started to receive national recognition for his kicking skills during his sophomore season, and as he entered his junior year, he was attracting the Division I scouts.
Long was named to the Big 33 team, and recognized by Sports Illustrated, earning a merit award from the sports publication.
In 1972, Long booted a national record 19 field goals, breaking the national record for the longest field goal with a 51-yarder - he later broke it by making one from 54 yards.
Long just missed breaking that mark when he attempted a 56-yarder in October 1972 against Shenandoah Valley. The kick was long enough, hitting the track well beyond the end zone and landing in front of the scoreboard, but was wide right.
Long immediately earned the starting kicker job for Pittsburgh and was a four-year starter. He set 18 school kicking records, three NCAA all-time kicking records for points scored, and was named first-team All-East and second-team UPI All-American as a senior in 1976.
The 1976 team was honored by the university in 1980 and Long was voted to the school's all-time team as a kicker. In 1999, he was selected by Sports Illustrated as a member of the Top 100 20th Century Football Team.