Long returns to Omaha
July 13, 2005 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Omaha Beef News Release
Wednesday, July 13, 2005, Omaha, Nebraska - In the last six months, Chace Long has made trips to Europe, both coasts, and, most recently, down the aisle. He's bounced between four cities on two continents-and that doesn't even count his honeymoon. And what does he think of his jetsetter ways?
"I'm just glad to be home," he said.
Long returned to the Omaha in time to nail three point-after attempts and two field goals in the Beef's 41-47 heartbreaker loss to the Sioux City Bandits - his first game in more than a year.
"I think I did OK," he said.
In January, Long signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers and was allocated to NFL Europe. About a week into his team's training camp, his leg started to hurt so badly that he "could hardly even run across the field," he said. An MRI revealed stress fractures in both shins, and he was sent to Birmingham, Ala. for two and a half months for rehabilitation.
After a full recovery, Long reported back to San Francisco, but was ultimately released from the team. "The reason I was sent to Europe was basically to evaluate my play, but they never really got a chance to do that," he said. "Honestly, though, I was kind of relieved. I had been gone for three months, and I was engaged to be married and was just ready to be home."
Long has since gotten married and is settling down in Omaha - but until recently, his plans didn't include the Beef. "I had decided that I wasn't going to play for the Beef because I was going to try the NFL thing, but [Beef kicker Ted Retzlaff] approached me and Coach about coming back," he said. "I wasn't going to just come in and take the job, because Ted's been doing great all season, but it's up to Coach to make that decision. "I think it's a pretty good problem to have, with two pretty good kickers on the roster," he said.
Coach Robert Fuller agreed with Long. "It's funny how it worked out, with Ted actually initiating the whole thing," he said. "It really shows his unselfishness and character.
"As a coach, I'm very excited to have two very good kickers on our squad, and even more please to have two great individuals on our team," he said.
In the remainder of the season, Long hopes to get back up to speed, both on and off the field. "A lot of these guys on the team don't know me, and I just want to earn their trust and win some games," he said.
Long isn't the team's only new addition. The Beef have also added quarterback Frank Borba and defensive back Shedrick Harris, both from the Black Hills Red Dogs, to the team's final roster.
Borba spent most of the 2005 season as the starting quarterback for the Red Dogs, where he was named the United Indoor Football league's Week 10 Offensive Player of the Week. Before joining the UIF, Borba spent a year playing a primarily backup role with the Central Valley Coyotes in the AF2 league. He graduated from Menlo College, where he finished his final year ranked sixth in the nation in passing efficiency and ninth in total offense, with an average of over 300 yards per game for a total of 2748 yards - the second highest in a single season. He was named to the Division III All-West Region team in 2003.
Harris joins the Beef after spending the last three seasons with the Red Dogs. So far this season, he has recorded 82.5 total tackles, which ranks third in the United Indoor Football league. He was named to the NIFL's Pacific West All-Star team in 2004. Prior to his time with the Red Dogs, he played in the AF2 league after graduating from Northwestern Oklahoma State, where he was named to the All-Central States Football League First Team his senior year.
Returning to the Beef's roster is veteran linebacker Cale Good. Good started the 2005 season with the Beef playing just one game before injury forced him to leave.
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