Long, Carl, 1935-2015

Carl Russell Long (born May 9, 1935, in Rock Hill, South Carolina, and died January 12, 2015, in Kinston, North Carolina) had a professional baseball career (1952-1958) beginning with the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro American League, and played in the 1953 Negro League East-West All-Star game. In 1954, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates and played through 1957 with the following Pittsburgh Pirates farm clubs: St. Jean (Quebec) Canadians, Provincial League; Billings (MT) Mustangs, Pioneer League; Phoenix (AZ) Stars, Arizona-Mexico League; Kinston (NC) Eagles, Carolina League; Beaumont (TX) Pirates, Big State League; and Mexico City (Mexico) Tigers, Mexican League. Long held the all-time Kinston shared single season record of 111 runs batted in (1956), was the first African American baseball player in the Carolina League (1956), and was inducted into the Negro League Hall of Fame and the Kinston Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. After Mr. Long's professional baseball career ended in 1958, he became the first African American deputy sheriff in Lenoir County (NC) and in 1960 became the first African American detective in Lenoir County (NC). After twelve years as a detective, he became the first African American bus driver in Lenoir County (NC) and continued in this profession for twenty-three years before retiring in 1995. After he retired, he continued to promote the heritage of the old Negro Baseball Leagues and youth baseball.

Long married Kinston resident Ella Smith in 1956 and they had three children: Cynthia Hightower, The Reverend Sotello Long, and a deceased daughter Teresa Long.

In 2013, Long published his autobiography with Diane Taylor titled A Game of Faith: The Story of Negro League Baseball Player Carl Long.