Rob Long to Receive 2018 Zunic Award

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Former Orange punter Rob Long '12, G'14 has been named the 2018 recipient of the Zunic Award. Long will be honored Friday, Sept. 14 at a dinner at Drumlins Country Club in Syracuse, and recognized on the field during the Orange's Atlantic Coast Conference opener versus Florida State the next day at the Carrier Dome (Noon kickoff).

Presented by the Syracuse Football Club, the Zunic Award was created in 2001 to honor Mike and Judy Zunic, who died tragically on July 18, 1989 when a United Airlines plane crashed in Sioux City, Iowa. The pilot, anticipating landing difficulties, requested if some strong passengers would volunteer to give up their seats and sit at the exit doors to assist passengers in the event of an emergency. Mike and Judy gave up their seats in first class to sit at one of the doors. They both died in the crash and those in the Zunics' original seats survived.

Mike Zunic was a four-year starter at linebacker and earned a bachelor's degree (1981) and master's degree (1982) in speech communication from SU.

A four-year letterwinner (2007-10) and a three-time All-BIG EAST selection, Long is one of the most accomplished punters in program history. He ranks second in career punting average (43.3) and yardage (11,381). A two-time Orange captain, Long is responsible for two of the five longest punts in the Orange record book, a 73-yard boot in 2007 against USF and a 72-yard kick the following year versus Northeastern.

Unfortunately, Long's football career came to an abrupt halt shortly after the 2010 regular season when he was diagnosed with Anaplastic astrocytoma – a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer. Long had surgery to remove most of the mass in December 2010, and two weeks later watched Syracuse's Pinstripe Bowl victory over Kansas State from the sidelines.

In January 2011, Long began intense rounds of radiation and chemotherapy to eliminate the remaining cancer cells. On March 28, 2011, he was pronounced cancer-free, with doctors telling him it was a "near miracle."

In 2013, former teammates Sam Rodgers and Eric Morris started the Syracuse chapter of Uplifting Athletes in Long's honor. A national non-profit, Uplifting Athletes is a network of chapters led by current college student-athletes whose goal is to inspire hope in the rare-disease community through the power of sport. Every year, the Syracuse chapter holds a "Lift for Life" event, which has consistently raised thousands of dollars to benefit those like Long who have been affected by rare diseases.

Today, Long, who graduated from the University in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in marketing and supply chain management, serves as the director of rare-disease engagement for Uplifting Athletes. In that role, he works to raise money and awareness for rare-disease research and patient-focused programs. Long's responsibilities also include organizing initiatives to enhance student-athlete life skills development and growing Uplifting Athletes' nationwide chapter network.

Earlier this year, Long, who also holds a graduate degree in new media management from Syracuse's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, was presented with the University's Orange Circle Award, which recognizes altruistic members of the SU community who have done extraordinary things in the service of others.

Zunic Award Recipients
2001: Mr. and Mrs. Zunic, Frank Maloney, Gene Grabosky '60 (posthumous)
2002: Pat '88 and Kari Kelly, Roberta DeLeone
2003: Jim DaRin '77
2004: Joshua Frase
2005: Jim Rooney
2006: Rockette Pirro Brunetti, Horace Landry
2007: Sylvia Mackey, Chris Ingram '89 (posthumous)
2008: Robin Griffin '72, Carlmon Jones, Ron Page '74
2009: Bill Coghill '72, Norm Mordue '66
2010: Jim Jerome '76
2011: John Lally '82
2012: Tim Byrne '87 (posthumous)
2013: Pat Killorin '66
2014: Dick Beyer '53
2015: Frank Conover '91
2016: Tom Hermanowski '70
2017: J. Michael Anderson '77
2018: Rob Long '12, G'14

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Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Eric Morris

Sam Rodgers

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