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Howard Michael "Howie" Long (born January 6, 1960 in Somerville, Massachusetts) is a former American football player who played as a defensive end. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. He attended Milford High School in Milford, Massachusetts, and is a member of the Milford Hall of Fame. Long was an all-around athlete, playing football (lettered three years and was named to the Scholastic Coach All-America team as a senior, though he never played football until age 15), basketball (lettered three years as a forward), and track (lettered three years, competing in the shot-put, discus and javelin). Long also set state records in both the shot put and discus.

Drafted in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, Long would play 13 seasons for the club wearing the number 75. His very rare combination of size, strength and quickness made him a fearsome force on the Raiders defensive line, earning eight Pro Bowl selections. After his retirement from the NFL following the 1993 season Long pursued an acting career, focused mainly on action films, including Firestorm, a 1998 film in which he starred. He also appears in the movie Broken Arrow alongside John Travolta. He played a minor role in the movie 3000 Miles to Graceland, alongside Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, and Courtney Cox. Long also made numerous cameo appearances on TV shows and commercials.

Long was a spokesman for Radio Shack, making commercials with actress Teri Hatcher. He has also been featured in many other national commercials and advertising campaigns including those of Chevrolet, Coors Light, Nike, Campbell`s Chunky Soup, Hanes, Frito Lay, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Nabisco, Kraft, the Bud Bowl campaign, and currently for Chevrolet trucks. In March, 1986, Long told Inside Sports, "When I`m finished playing I`d like to stay in touch with football, through broadcasting. I`m qualified to give a certain perspective and I`m articulate enough to handle it." After his retirement he began as a studio analyst for the FOX Network`s NFL coverage, where he often plays the "straight man" to the comic antics of co-host Terry Bradshaw as well as writing a column for Foxsports.com.

Long has been married to Diane Addonizio since June 27, 1982, and they have three sons. One son, Christopher, was drafted 2nd overall in the 2008 NFL Draft as a defensive end for the St. Louis Rams after a very successful career at University of Virginia; another son, Kyle, was a highly recruited high school baseball player (pitcher) (Pi Kappa Alpha) played for Florida State University before transferring to a community college. Howie Jr. has committed to his oldest brother`s alma mater Virginia to play lacrosse. The family currently resides in Ivy, VA, near Charlottesville. Long told USA Today, in 1998, that he and his wife always take separate planes in case of a crash. "I couldn`t bear the thought of my children going through the rest of their lives without [either] of us."