SDSU FOOTBALL: The Long haul: Aztecs coach hasn't delivered on his "win now" pledge, but the school is committed to him

By SCOTT BAIR - Staff Writer | Saturday, August 16, 2008 7:10 PM PDT ∞

Chuck Long has seven wins in his first two seasons as San Diego State's head football coach. Photo by Jamie Scott Lytle - Staff photographer.

SAN DIEGO ---- Chuck Long was largely unknown in these parts before becoming San Diego State's head football coach.

Observers weren't sure what to make of this tall, blond 40-something with Midwestern roots, but he walked in front of the cameras during his introductory press conference and immediately endeared himself to a long-suffering fan base.

Long made quite a first impression that day, one the Aztecs faithful always will remember and never let him forget. He evoked comparisons to the Don Coryell era mere moments before uttering two magic words San Diego sports fans long to hear: win now.

"I am not a coach that will say or rely on the excuse that we have to wait four years to get my recruits in here," Long said that fateful day in December 2005. "It's a win-now approach. We are going to win now with this football team. I told them that today and I told them simply ---- 'You are my recruits, and we are going to win now.' "

San Diego State has won just seven times since that day, and in Long's two seasons lost only two fewer games than Coryell dropped in 12 years as Aztecs coach. Long's outrageously optimistic claim killed the honeymoon period enjoyed by most new coaches, when losses are excused in the name of building a program. It teased impatient fans who haven't witnessed a winning season or a bowl game since 1998 and let cynicism reign among the common fan.

While it may now seem like a rookie mistake ---- especially in such a fickle market ---- Long's infamous proclamation wasn't made in ignorance. He knew deep down that winning immediately wasn't possible, but had his reasons for saying so anyway.

"I said that and I don't regret it," Long said. "I know the media and those outside the program jumped on that, but I wanted our players to know that we didn't want to wait four or five years to get things going. It was more of a message to the players on that first squad than it was for the fans and the media. When you go in and talk about a five-year plan, the older players think, 'What about me?' That's not fair to those guys.

"The reality is that we knew from day one that we had a ways to go. That's something you don't express to your players. You do the best you can with what you have, but we as a staff knew that the program wasn't ready."

Long was right. His Aztecs went 3-9 that first season, 4-8 the next and enter the third ---- which begins Aug. 30 against Cal Poly ---- with prognosticators assuming the worst.

San Diego State was picked seventh among nine teams in the preseason Mountain West Conference media poll, while Sports Illustrated and CBS SportsLine pick the Aztecs to finish dead last.

That's a perception largely based on youth littering the depth chart, an unproven redshirt freshman in Ryan Lindley at quarterback and two years of disappointment.

All signs point to continued struggles, yet panic hasn't struck the athletic department. San Diego State athletic director Jeff Schemmel might be the most patient of all, singing Long's praises without a shred of insincerity.

"I think the program's in great shape," Schemmel said. "We're going exactly where I want us to go. This is only year three. If you look at the history of most programs that have been turned around recently, it takes time to do it right. I can't think of a single thing I'd ask Chuck to change."

Translation: Chuck Long is not on the hot seat. His job is not in jeopardy, regardless of what happens this year. Even if all goes horribly wrong, it's very doubtful that Schemmel would make a change in the middle of a five-year contract that pays Long $700,000 annually plus incentives.

That gives Long the time and security to carry out his long-term vision, one he mapped out well before his first press conference but refused to volunteer.

"I felt this program needed the continuity and foundation built through developing players over a four- or five-year period," Long said. "You have to go one step at a time and build a foundation to a level that sustains success."

Long wanted to build his base the old-fashioned way, recruiting size and strength from the high-school ranks. It's not a sexy path, nor is it a quick fix that would've helped him win now as he vowed. It's a process popular in the Midwest and validated by the likes of Bob Stoops and Hayden Fry, coaches whom Long worked under and admired.

Long took that vision on the recruiting trail and failed to wow local standouts who create a buzz within a fan base addicted to flash. Top San Diego recruits took the first bus out of town early on, in direct violation of Long's pledge to "build a fence" around the county and keep local talent local.

"Chuck has a great pedigree," said Tom Luginbill, a recruiting analyst for ESPN and the son of former San Diego State head coach Al Luginbill. "He was an assistant at Iowa and a coordinator at Oklahoma, but he found out pretty quick that this isn't Iowa or Oklahoma. What works for those schools doesn't draw recruits out here, especially to a school like San Diego State that has been struggling."

That's not just hypothetical analyst speak, either. La Costa Canyon High linebacker Jacob Driver addressed Long's local recruiting reputation directly after committing to San Diego State in late July, hoping to convince his peers to stay home.

"I have gotten to know many of the other top players in San Diego and they question why I would go to SDSU when I could have gone to a Colorado, Boise State, Arizona, or somewhere like that," he said. "... I know that in the past SDSU has not been the school of choice for San Diego's top athletes, but at some point those athletes need to take a chance and come together to build a program that future San Diegans would be proud to be a part of."

Building that program has been surprisingly slow even for Long, who admits internal frustration while remaining publicly optimistic.

"There have been times when I'm frustrated, especially early on," he said. "But I see things better now and our steps forward are getting bigger. I can see it.

"That first year, it was tough to see. I knew we had a ways to go and our steps were very small, steps that the naked eye could not pick up. I see the strides we're making now and I'm encouraged by the progress we're making."

The progress is largely intangible. The win column certainly doesn't reflect it, nor do this season's prospects.

Long can point to a few things, including a group of young offensive linemen that averages more than 300 pounds a man. He can spin this year's youth into a positive, saying that this talented core will grow together and could be tough to beat in a few years. If he could comment on oral commitments, he'd show that the class of 2009 already has five local commitments a year after the Aztecs signed six of them.

None of that, though, will put bodies in the seats right away. Attendance has dropped in each of the last three years and could be down until San Diego State starts winning consistently or accelerates the rebuilding process with a big splash.

"Chuck needs to beat the big schools in one way or another," Luginbill said. "A breakthrough victory on national television would obviously help, but beating the big schools on a few top-flight recruits could turn things around as well. He needs a rallying point, something substantial to build upon."

Until that happens, Long has to weather the storm and plea for patience.

He has it from the athletic department and many prominent boosters. Former Aztecs defensive lineman Fred Dryer, a prominent booster and all-time great who questioned Long's tactics during a 2006 luncheon, recently pledged full support for the current regime in a phone interview. Other prominent boosters are holding their breath, hoping for the best.

"They're optimistic, but they've got their fingers crossed," said longtime supporter Tom Ables, well known for attending 498 consecutive football games. "Obviously, there was a burp in the transition stemming from Chuck's own comments, but most are happy with the philosophy he's implemented. We'll have to wait and see if it translates into wins and losses."

Long's players are convinced it will.

"It's a process," Lindley said. "It wasn't going to happen overnight, and realistically we all kind of knew that. We see the third season as the year we make a big push. Players are starting to buy in and realize that, slowly but surely, he's turning this program around."

Contact staff writer Scott Bair at (760) 739-6642 or sbair@nctimes.com.