A feature on the football strength and conditioning program, a full USF game preview and a look at Manti Te'o's first play at Notre Dame are all part of this week's Irish Connection.
PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Veteran strength and conditioning coach with 26 years of experience at NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
• Worked in a similar capacity from 2007-09 at the University of Cincinnati and has worked alongside current Irish head football coach Brian Kelly as his speed, strength and conditioning coach since Kelly's first season at Central Michigan in 2004.
• Longo has instilled a grueling strength and conditioning program at Notre Dame that has helped the Irish become one of the top closing teams in the nation.
• Through three years at Notre Dame, Longo and Kelly have helped the Irish secure a 23-3 record when leading after three quarters and are 23-3 when entering halftime with a lead. In the two seasons prior to Kelly's and Longo's arrival, Notre Dame was only 9-6 in games it led at halftime.
• Notre Dame is 9-1 in the month of November under Longo and Kelly. Notre Dame had lost eight of its last nine November games before their arrival in 2010.
• Under Kelly's watch at Cincinnati, the Bearcats were 32-0 when entering a fourth quarter with a lead and 29-2 when leading at halftime.
• Since 2005 at Central Michigan, Kelly's teams are 63-4 when leading after three quarters and 62-5 when taking the lead into halftime.
• Stops at Wisconsin (1987), Iowa (1988-98), Central Michigan (2004-06) and Cincinnati (2007-09) have helped Longo produce more than 50 NFL draft picks.
• Helped develop Michael Floyd and Harrison Smith into first round NFL draft picks in 2012. Floyd and Smith became first Irish teammates selected in first round of NFL Draft in 18 years.
• In his first two seasons at Notre Dame, has helped produce three players drafted in the first 43 picks of the NFL Draft. Notre Dame hadn't had that many total players drafted that high in consecutive drafts since 1994-95.
• Eight Cincinnati players were selected in 2008 and 2009 combined, equal to the combined total of NFL draft picks from Cincinnati in the previous five drafts.
• At Central Michigan, Longo served as the head strength coach and helped develop five NFL draft selections, including Longo's prized pupil, Joe Staley. Staley entered Central Michigan in 2003 as a tight end and graduated as a left tackle and the first Chippewa to be a NFL first-round draft pick.
• Staley caught 11 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown in his freshman season. Longo arrived with Kelly prior to the 2004 season and helped Staley pack on 80 pounds during his Chippewa career as he grew into an offensive tackle. He started 11 games at right tackle as a sophomore and moved to left tackle where he started all 25 games from 2005-06 and allowed only one combined sack in his final two seasons.
• After becoming just the fifth Central Michigan player to participate in the Senior Bowl, Staley became the 28th overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, picked by the San Francisco 49ers.
• From 1988-2003, Longo served on the strength and conditioning staff at Iowa and worked primarily with football from 1988-98.
• Worked with Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry as Longo served as the assistant strength coach for the football program from 1988-92 before being promoted to head strength coach for the Hawkeye football team in 1993.
• Longo played a critical role in helping the Hawkeyes to seven bowl games including the 1991 Rose Bowl after Iowa claimed the Big Ten Conference championship in 1990.
• The 1991 Hawkeyes compiled a 10-1-1 record and finished second in the Big Ten with a 7-1 ledger. Iowa was ranked 10th in the final polls after tying BYU in the Holiday Bowl.
• Longo also made two trips to the Sun and Alamo Bowls and one appearance in the Peach Bowl.
• Longo began his career as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Wisconsin in 1987.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
• He was a four-year starter at wide receiver on the Warriors' football team, set season and career receiving records and twice was the MVP.
• Totaled 91 career receptions for 1,154 yards at Wayne State and paced the Warriors in receiving from 1978-80.
• Longo went to training camps as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1982, Philadelphia Stars of the USFL in 1983 and Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 1984.
DYNAMIC DISCIPLES
LB Manti Te'o (Notre Dame)
• 2012 winner of the Butkus, Nagurski, Lombardi, Bednarik, Lott and Maxwell Awards
• 2012 Walter Camp Player of the Year
• 2012 Heisman Trophy runner-up
WR Michael Floyd (Notre Dame), Arizona Cardinals
• 13th overall selection in first round of 2012 NFL Draft
S Harrison Smith (Notre Dame), Minnesota Vikings
• 29th overall selection in first round of 2012 NFL Draft
WR Mardy Gilyard (Cincinnati), St. Louis Rams
• 2009 All-American; 2008-09 first-team all-BIG EAST
OT Joe Staley (Central Michigan), San Francisco 49ers
• 28th overall selection in first round of 2007 NFL Draft by San Francisco
CB Tom Knight (Iowa)
• Ninth overall selection in first round of 1997 NFL Draft by Arizona
OT Ross Verba (Iowa)
• 30th overall section in first round of 1997 NFL Draft by Green Bay
