Chris Long was sitting at his parents’ kitchen table in Albemarle County the night before his first day of classes at the University of Virginia when he logged into his university email for the first time.
“It was magical,” he said during his keynote speech at UVa’s Valedictory Exercises on Friday. “I felt like I had opened a portal into a new dimension of knowledge and possibility. I could do anything I wanted. On days like these, we make a lot of promises to ourselves, but they fade quickly, and you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
In his speech, Long, a two-time Super Bowl champion, encouraged students to hold onto those “firsts” of life and to chase fulfillment, not just accomplishments.
After graduating from St. Anne’s-Belfield School, Long played football for the Cavaliers from 2004 to 2007. While at UVa, he said, he considered transferring, but a conversation with then-coach Al Groh convinced him to stay. That decision led to an All-American season that landed him the 2007 Hendricks Award for top defensive end.
Still, he said, he never finished his degree, and joked that his lack of a diploma made him panic when he was asked to give the Valediction speech.
“I was scared of you today. You’re terrifying people,” he said. “Everyone fears change. But what you’ll find is that change breeds your most important accomplishments.”
Long was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams.
