Mr. Billy Scott Long

It is with both great sadness and angelical joy that the family of Billy Scott Long announces his passing on to his heavenly home on June 30th, 2026. Coach Papa, as he wanted to be called by all his friends, died in the ER of Tanner Hospital in Carrollton, Georgia of heart failure due to complications of medical treatment. He was with his son Bill at his passing and soon surrounded by his daughter-in-law Christina and grandsons Clayton and Christian. He was 92. Billy Scott Long was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to parents Henry Eugene Long and Ruby Lee Baggett and brothers Bruce, Jack, Rex and Bobby and sisters Mavis, Lorene and Ruby Jean. In 1936 the family moved to his childhood hometown of Brewton, Alabama. Billy was the youngest son of “Doc” and Mrs. Long and he spent his early years farming, showing horses and being the batboy for the semi-pro Brewton Millers baseball team. He remembered collecting metal and rubber with his siblings for the effort during World War 2, and to support his eldest brother Bruce who was a sailor on the USS Sangamon. He excelled as a three sport athlete in high school at TR Miller in football, basketball and baseball. His proudest moments were being an All-State Football player in 1951 and being named to the All Tournament Team in Basketball as the Tigers captured the Class A State Championship. It is still the only Boys Basketball State Championship in TR Miller history and this coming season will mark the 75th championship anniversary. Billy was the last surviving member of that historic team. After high school Billy went to Mississippi Southern College, now the University of Southern Mississippi, on a football scholarship. During a stellar freshman season he injured his shoulder, stopped playing football, and enlisted in the United States Army. PFC Long was stationed in Germany with the 26th Infantry and while on duty was a member of the Blue Spaders baseball team as a catcher. After serving in Operation Gyroscope in Germany he returned to the states and played football at Auburn University before another shoulder injury ended his college sports career. He finished his college degree in 1959 at then Troy State University in Troy, Alabama where he excelled at journalism and was a member of the thespians. After graduation, Billy became a successful football coach, with assistant coaching stops at undefeated Fairhope Alabama, then Suwanee, Choctawhatchee and Leon high schools in Florida, and was a Head Football Coach at Jefferson County, Florida. He met his future bride Mary Kathryn Brant during his early days in Tallahassee, and they were later married there. He became a Graduate Assistant Coach at Florida State University with a young and future legendary coach Bobby Bowden, and they coached the Freshman/JV teams at FSU together. Billy then served as both Head Baseball Coach, then Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at Rickards High School in Tallahassee. After his time at Rickards, he became a PE Coach and English teacher at Fairview Middle School where he eventually retired. After leaving coaching at Rickards, he spent time as a radio color commentator with the eventual legendary voice of The Seminoles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gene Deckerhoff. Billy’s final coaching assignments were at North Florida Christian School in Tallahassee where he coached his eldest son Bill’s middle school basketball team and son Scott’s junior high baseball team as well as coaching both Bill and later Scott on the NFC Football Team from 1984-1987. He also cheered on Scott and later his daughter Kathryn who both excelled in Track and Field at NFC. Kathryn went on to become a real life Disney Princess and Emmy Award winning singer/song writer, his son Scott has a career in the technology sector, and his son Bill became a teacher and football coach. After retirement from teaching, he became a paraprofessional at Lincoln High School with the Trojan Tots early childhood education center, the job he eventually said loved the most. He served the preschoolers of Trojan Tots from 1995 until 2011. In 2011 he moved to live in Calhoun, Georgia to be with his grandsons William, Clayton and Christian Long. Billy was always an avid family historian and he discovered many important Long family historical links and facts. He uncovered a direct family link to Nathaniel Shellnut, the founder of Bowdon Georgia, and Billy was the Grand Marshal of the Bowdon Founders Day Parade in 2006. The Long Family eventually moved to his final home in Heflin Alabama, adjacent to Bowdon and another city with Long family roots, Carrollton Georgia where his son and daughter-in-law teach and coach at Carrollton High School and his youngest grandson Christian is going to be a junior at CHS. Billy’s favorite things in life were his children, his grandchildren, Kathryn’s music, his extended Long family and Long family history, his church, telling Jerry Clower stories and Jeff Foxworthy redneck jokes, The Andy Griffith Show, Saturday at The Westerns, The Price is Right, pitching horseshoes, tending his chickens, and giving the family dogs Milkbones. Billy Scott Long is survived by his sons Scott Long, Bill Long and wife Christina, and grandsons William Long and wife Jessica, Clayton Long and Christian Long. He was preceded in death by all of his siblings and his wife Mary Kathryn and daughter Kathryn. Funeral Services will be -Tuesday July 7th, 2026 Antioch Church 12295 County Road 49, Helfin, Alabama Visitation 4:00pm to 6:00pm ET with service to follow at 6:00pm Eastern. -Thursday July 9th, 2026 Williams Memorial Chapel 2353 South Blvd, Brewton, Alabama Visitation 10:00am-11:00am CT Graveside Memorial at Green Acres Cemetery in Brewton following Visitation. In lieu of flowers, Mr. Long and the family have asked that friends and family please consider donating to the Kathryn Belle Long Scholarship Fund at https://secure.qgiv.com/for/kathrynbellelongmemorialscholarship/?utm_id=97758_v0_s00_e0_tv2_a1demoo3emzd11

Mr. Billy Scott Long

June 30, 2026

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June 30, 2026

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