Allen County Schools Superintendent Larry Williams sat at his desk Thursday afternoon, still stunned by a letter he received just a few hours earlier. Allen County-Scottsville High School Principal Bill Cooper delivered a letter from football coach and teacher Steve Long stating that he will be retiring effective at the end of the school year. Ive only had that letter two or three hours, Williams said mid-afternoon Thursday. I havent really gotten over the initial shock yet. Longs reason for retiring after 28 years? He wants to be with his family. And why shouldnt he? Those he loves best supported him when he moved them from Bowling Green to Allen County in the summer of 1999, selling their home in the process, he said. Now, its payback time, said Long, who told his players the news late Thursday morning, and Im going to try to do something for my family and spend more time with them. For starters, hes having a home built in Bowling Green. Williams, meanwhile, still was trying to take in Longs decision to retire. I was a little surprised when the principal gave (the letter) to me this morning, the superintendent said. He even tried to talk Long out of it on many occasions. I have exhausted my vocabulary, Williams said. I have exhausted words. I had several talks with him. Of course, Williams has a vested interest in Longs retirement from a parents standpoint, as well. His twin sons freshmen Daniel and Nathaniel Williams are on the football team. Its going to be a long, long night at my house, he said, speaking solely from a parents perspective. The 52-year-old Long coached the Patriots from 1999 to 2001, compiling an overall 13-18 record. Allen County-Scottsville went 4-6 his first season, 3-7 his second and 6-5 last year. The Patriots got off to a strong 4-0 start in 2000 that included their first win 22-20 over rival Franklin-Simpson since 1970.Then disaster struck for the Patriots. They were stripped of their first four wins and put on probation for the rest of the season and player Nick Galiouras was forced to sit out one game a 54-47 loss to Westmoreland, Tenn. because of what Long referred to as a paperwork problem with the Kentucky High School Athletic Association. The school voluntarily reported the violation to the KHSAA involving the eligibility of a transfer player Galiouras but Long always has maintained that he was given the green light to use the then-junior and that he never knew Galiouras was ineligible. An appeal by Allen County-Scottsville to reverse the KHSAAs ruling later was denied. However, Galiouras was ruled eligible to play by the KHSAA on Sept. 29, a week after the Patriots loss to Westmoreland. The Patriots went on to win three of their last five games, including a 14-0 victory over then-No. 2 Bowling Green, to finish 3-7. But having to forfeit their first four games meant no trip to the playoffs for the Patriots that year. The next season was a different story, however. In 2001, Allen County-Scottsville went 6-4 during a regular season that included a thrilling 36-32 win over defending Class 3A, District 2 champion Warren Central. They also posted a 4-2 mark in their district to earn a No. 3 seeding in the playoffs. The Patriots ended the season with a 6-5 mark after a 27-14 loss to Paducah Tilghman in the first round of the playoffs. Hes convinced these young men to believe in themselves and hes convinced them that they can compete with anybody they get on the field with, and then, in turn, they believe in him … He had their respect and they had his, Williams said. My three years at Allen County-Scottsville have a lot of fond memories attached to them, Long said. I love the kids, the parents, the administration and the community. They were extremely supportive. Mr. Larry Williams the superintendent you couldnt ask for a nicer person to work for. Prior to his stint at Allen County-Scottsville, Long was a longtime coaching and teaching fixture at Bowling Green High School. He was associate head football coach and defensive coordinator for the Purples from 1987-95 and an assistant from 1976-95. He was an assistant under Wilson Sears, Vince Hancock and Dan Haley. In 1995, Haley and his staff coached Bowling Green to the Class 3A state championship a 28-12 win over perennial powerhouse Highlands. The Purples also were runners-up in 1994, losing 24-21 to Covington Catholic. He helped install Bowling Greens version of the shade 50 defense an old Oklahoma 50 defense. But, instead of having the nose guard in the middle, the Purples was on one side or the other, Long said. We tweaked it here and there and gave it our own identity, he said. Steve has a real ability as a coach, Haley said. Hes a strategist, a tactician and a big motivator. He was a big asset to us and our success … He was a big part of what we accomplished. He coordinated the defense and he did a great job. Long also was an assistant baseball coach from 1973-83. He was head coach from 1984-89 and again from 1998-99.His most memorable baseball season was when he took the Purples to the state championship game in 1986. Bowling Green lost 3-0 to Lexington Tates Creek that year. But winning wasnt the only reward he reaped from coaching. I guess the most pleasing memories are those of kids you helped with lifes problems, as well as watching them continuing with college or seeing them on the street or them coming back to our ballgames, and (me) asking them what theyre doing and them telling you how you played a part in their success, he said. I think wins and losses come and go, but relationships last forever. And Ive always established some kind of personal relationship with every player Ive ever coached. Long graduated from BGHS in 1968, attended Tennessee on a baseball scholarship and then finished college at Western Kentucky, where he played under legendary coach Jim Pickens Sr.He was tough, but fair, Long recalled of Pickens. Its a philosophy he used as a coach. As for his retirement, it was a tough decision to make. I dont know if youre ever ready to retire, said Long, a health and weight-lifting and conditioning teacher at BGHS and health, physical education and weight-lifting and conditioning teacher at Allen County-Scottsville. You always second-guess yourself whether its time for you to go … but its the best thing for me right now. Williams, for one, feels Long is leaving the game too soon. I told him I dont think hes ready to get out of coaching and I dont think hes ready to give up the kids, Williams said. But never let it be said that Long wont ever coach again. I wont say I wont ever coach again, he said, because it is who I am.