Mental toughness is often celebrated in the NFL, but its origins are rarely this personal. Before two Super Bowl triumphs and over a decade-long NFL career, St. Louis Rams legend Chris Long was learning life’s hardest lessons at home from his father, Howie Long. And recently, Chris credited much of his NFL success to his Hall of Fame father.

“My dad at 13 hired a basketball coach to run me and like, you know, get me in shape. But more than anything, like it was to break me mentally, I think,” Long said on the Youth Inc. Podcast. “And for me, with my dad, it was all about hard work… I hate to like boil it down to one day, but like, I don’t know, it’s not necessarily a healthy dad strategy now… But that was like dad’s way of doing things.

“And if he was going to make sure I was going to be anything, it was going to be a hard worker. And that, that stuck with me because I had talent and I was able to make it to the next level… But I had to work really hard to sustain a long pro career, and that foundation really, really mattered for me. So that was what it was, man. It was all about instilling hard work and doing things the right way for my dad growing up.”

Howie Long is a legend with a 13-year career in the NFL representing the Raiders. From anchoring the Los Angeles Raiders defense that completely disrupted the Washington Redskins’ historic offense in a 38-9 victory in Super Bowl XVIII to becoming a Pro Bowler eight times as a defensive lineman, Howie lived an illustrious life, one that he also envisioned for his son.

When Chris Long was 8, his father retired from his playing career. Yet, the zeal to instill discipline in his son was still alive. And after introducing the sport to Chris at a young age, Howie played a crucial role in building a successful NFL career.

After four seasons (2004-2007) of his collegiate career with the Virginia Cavaliers, Chris Long entered the NFL when the St. Louis Rams drafted him in 2008. Some of his best single-season records (43 combined tackles in 2009 and 13 sacks in 2011) were made during the former NFL DE’s time with the Rams.

And after spending eight seasons with the Rams, Chris moved to the New England Patriots to win his first Lombardi (Super Bowl LI). A similar trend followed the subsequent year when he moved to the Philadelphia Eagles and won a consecutive Lombardi (Super Bowl LII).

Following two standout years, Chris Long announced his retirement in May 2019. He was able to achieve all that he did because of the standard his dad set when he was 13. What he learned as a teenager helped him have an incredible NFL career.