By Thomas Jones, Sports Editor

Derek Long has spent parts of four decades on the sidelines for the Westlake football program, but he won’t be around for a fifth.

Long, the Chaps’ head football coach and the Eanes school district athletic director, announced Thursday that he will retire after the end of the school year.

“I owe my wife [Nancy] 32 years,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s been a great run, a great experience. I’ve worked with some extraordinary young men and some extraordinary coaches.”

Long, 55, has spent all but four of his 32 years coaching in the Eanes school district. The Austin Travis graduate has been on Westlake’s coaching staff since 1983 and took over the head-coaching duties in 2003 after the resignation of Ron Schroeder.

During his tenure as head coach, Westlake went 54-22 with three district championships and six playoff appearances. His 2006 team reached a Class 5A championship game, where the Chaps fell to Southlake Carroll.

This past season, Westlake went 9-5 and reached the Class 5A Division I Region IV finals.

During his time at Westlake, Long coached in all six of Westlake’s state title game appearances. He was the defensive coordinator for Westlake’s Class 5A state championship team in 1996.

“I was fortunate enough to be a part of one of the top eras of any high school football program in the state,” he said. “It’s been unbelievably rewarding.”

Despite the bevy of wins compiled by Westlake during the pats two decades, Long said helping a generation of Westlake boys “grow into men” has been his most satisfying achievement.

“Watching some skinny-legged freshman who doesn’t really care about his grades become a strong football player and get a spot on the all-district academic team is something else,” he said. “I’ve had the chance to work with the greatest young men in the country. They’ve worked hard to be the best they can, and I’ll miss them the most.”

The process has just begun to find a new head coach and athletic director, Eanes officials said. The district will consider candidates from both within and outside the current staff, and current assistant Steve Ramsey appears to be the leading in-house candidate, according to Eanes administrators.