Ray Long Sr. was a coach and administrator at Douglas Freeman High School for more than 30 years. He died in 1997 of cancer after battling Parkinson’s Disease for five years. 

Long was an assistant football coach, coaching linebackers and the line, for 15 years at Douglas Freeman. He also coached baseball and tennis, but was best known for the wrestling teams he coached from 1958-64. He later served as an assistant principal from 1970 until his retirement in 1984.

He learned about wrestling while serving in the United States Navy during World War II after not having wrestled in high school or college.

Long became the "Father of Wrestling" in the Central Region on Virginia. The Central Virginia Wrestling Officials Association honors him every year by presenting five scholarships in his name to deserving wrestlers, who excel at both athletics and academics, at the Central Region wrestling tournament.

Known for having a sign on his wrestling room ceiling that stated "If you can read this, you're in trouble," Long coached the first individual state wrestling champion from a public high school in Central Virginia, Stuart Clough, in 1961. 

For more than 35 years, Long ran the Central Region wrestling tournament while also serving as the chief of prep wrestling officials and refereeing 10 state wrestling tournaments. 

A graduate of East Carolina University, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the Virginia High School League in 1974 and again in 1985. He also received the Distinguished Service Award from the Henrico County Coaches Association in 1984 and was named Volunteer of the Year by the the YMCA of Greater Richmond in 1992.

Stanley Goldstein shares, "From 1955 to 1959, Coach Long was my position coach in football and my wrestling coach. He taught me that an overweight boy with little talent could learn, progress, and make a contribution. At the time, I did not fully appreciate the value of his teaching, but as I grew older, his words came back to me repeatedly — particularly in times of stress. Coach Long's lessons served me well."