Tennessee Junior and Community College Athletic Association Hall of Fame Presentation

Steve Longley

Each year since 1987, the TJCCAA has inducted a deserving candidate to their Hall of Fame. This year, Steve Longley, recently retired teacher and coach, was selected for the honor. After graduating in 1961 from Baylor School in Chattanooga, Longley played professional baseball for three years with the Cincinnati Reds and then began his educational career as a teacher and coach of baseball, basketball and football at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia. He became Assistant Professor of Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1969 at Cleveland State Community College in Cleveland, Tennessee and retired in 2006 after 36 years of service at the same institution.
 

During his tenure at Cleveland State Community College, in addition to his teaching duties, Longley served as the Head Baseball Coach for 14 years; as Assistant Baseball Coach for five years; as the Golf Coach for three years; as the Assistant Softball Coach for two years; and as the Athletic Director for one year.

During his coaching career Longley was voted five times by his peers as the TJCCAA Eastern Division Baseball Coach of the Year, four times as the TJCCAA Baseball Conference Coach of the Year and one time as the NJCAA Eastern District Baseball Coach of the Year. His overall coaching record was 446 wins and 181 losses for a .781 won/lost percentage.

In addition to Longley's coaching honors, 48 of his players were selected as All-Conference Players; five were selected as the Most Valuable Players of the Conference; 27 were selected as All-NJCAA Region VII Players; four were selected as All-American Players; one was named the 1980 Most Valuable Player in the NJCAA JUCO World Series; and 39 players he coached were drafted to play professional baseball.

Longley was inducted to the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2000; voted in 1999 as the Most Outstanding Teacher by the Student Body of Cleveland State; and was inducted into the Chattanooga Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966.