Diane Addonizio: Howie Long’s Wife, Career and Family

Diane Addonizio is the wife of Pro Football Hall of Famer and longtime FOX NFL analyst Howie Long. She is also a former attorney, author, mother of three sons and longtime community volunteer.

Quick Facts About Diane Addonizio

Villanova confirms Addonizio graduated in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in Classical Studies and earned her law degree from USC in 1986. The university also says she was admitted to the California Bar in 1987 and practiced law for several years.

Who Is Diane Addonizio?

Diane Addonizio became publicly known largely through her marriage to Howie Long, but her background predates his NFL fame.

Sports Illustrated described her as a Classical Studies major from Red Bank, New Jersey, and reported that she met Long at Villanova University while she was a freshman and he was a sophomore. Their relationship began before Long entered the NFL and became a recognizable figure in professional football.

That early connection is an important part of the story. Addonizio was not introduced into Long’s life after he became a famous athlete. She knew him during his college years, when his professional career was still ahead of him.

Diane Addonizio’s Education and Legal Career

Addonizio’s education followed an unusual path from Classical Studies into law.

She graduated from Villanova University with a B.A. in Classical Studies in 1982. She then attended the University of Southern California, where she earned a J.D. in 1986. Villanova says she was admitted to the California Bar in 1987 and practiced law for several years.

Howie Long later described her legal work more specifically in his Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement speech. He said she had worked as a corporate litigator before stepping away from her career after the birth of their third son.

That distinction matters because many online biographies simply describe Addonizio as a “lawyer.” The stronger public record shows that she had a professional legal career before choosing to leave active practice and concentrate on family and community work.

How Did Diane Addonizio Meet Howie Long?

Diane and Howie Long met at Villanova University in the early 1980s.

A Sports Illustrated profile offered a personal account of their early relationship. Their first real date involved watching an NFL game in Long’s room on a small black-and-white television. The anecdote gives a glimpse of their relationship before Long became a professional football star.

They married in June 1982. Sports Illustrated reported the marriage date while discussing Addonizio’s recollections of their college years.

Long’s Hall of Fame speech later described Diane as his best friend, supporter and critic, while crediting her with stepping away from corporate litigation to help raise their three sons.

Diane Addonizio and Howie Long’s Children

Diane and Howie have three sons: Christopher Long, Kyle Long and Howard Long Jr. FOX Sports confirms the couple have three sons and also notes that the family has four grandchildren.

Their children eventually developed strong connections to professional football, although their careers were not identical.

Christopher “Chris” Long became an NFL defensive end and later retired from professional football. Kyle Long played offensive line in the NFL. Howard Long Jr. pursued football on the business side rather than as an NFL player. FOX Sports identifies the three sons and their respective professional paths.

The family connection to football therefore spans multiple generations, but Diane’s role has not been limited to being the mother of athletes. Her own education, legal career and community involvement form a separate part of her public history.

Diane Addonizio as an Author

In 2000, Diane Long published He’s Just My Dad!: Portraits of Celebrity Athletes and Their Children through HarperEntertainment.

The book focuses on professional athletes in their role as fathers. According to the published description, it combines interviews with athletes and their families with more than 200 photographs showing everyday family life.

The book’s subject also reflects an obvious connection to Addonizio’s own experience. She was raising three sons in a family shaped by professional football, yet the project looked beyond competition and statistics to the relationships between famous athletes and their children.

Copyright records identify Diane Long as the claimant and list the work as published in 2000 by HarperCollins.

Diane Addonizio’s Community and Charity Work

Addonizio has also been involved in youth-focused community work.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia currently lists Diane Long as a longtime board member. The organization describes her as an attorney who left the practice of law to become a full-time mother and community volunteer focused on youth development. It also says she serves on the resource development committee and as co-chair of the Milbank Society.

The Chris Long Foundation similarly identifies Diane as a retired attorney and notes her long involvement with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia, including leadership roles connected with capital campaigns and youth-development efforts.

Her connection to Villanova has also continued well beyond graduation. In 2015, Villanova announced a $1 million commitment from Diane and Howie Long and highlighted Diane’s community involvement.

What Is Diane Addonizio Doing Now?

Diane Addonizio maintains a relatively private public profile.

Current public information is much stronger on her education, former legal career, family history and community work than on her day-to-day activities. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia continues to identify Diane Long on its board page, while the Chris Long Foundation describes her as a retired attorney and community volunteer.

That privacy also explains why some frequently repeated details about her online biography should be treated cautiously.

For example, several celebrity biography sites publish an exact birth date and age for Addonizio, but those details are not established by the stronger institutional sources reviewed for this article. Her educational and professional history is considerably better documented than her exact date of birth.

Why Diane Addonizio Remains a Public Interest Figure

Diane Addonizio’s public story is closely connected to Howie Long, but it is broader than that relationship.

She studied Classical Studies at Villanova, earned a law degree from USC, practiced law, raised three sons, published a book about athletes and fatherhood, and has spent years involved in youth-development work.

Her life has also unfolded alongside one of football’s better-known families. Howie Long became a Hall of Fame player and longtime television analyst, while Chris and Kyle built NFL careers of their own.

The result is a biography that sits at the intersection of law, family, publishing, philanthropy and American football, even though Addonizio herself has generally stayed away from the spotlight.

FAQs

Who is Diane Addonizio?

Diane Addonizio is a former attorney, author and community volunteer who is married to former NFL player and FOX Sports analyst Howie Long.

When did Diane Addonizio marry Howie Long?

Diane Addonizio and Howie Long married in June 1982 after meeting at Villanova University.

What did Diane Addonizio study?

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Classical Studies from Villanova University in 1982 and a J.D. from the University of Southern California in 1986.

Did Diane Addonizio work as a lawyer?

Yes. Villanova says she was admitted to the California Bar in 1987 and practiced law for several years. Howie Long later described her previous career as corporate litigation.

How many children does Diane Addonizio have?

She and Howie Long have three sons: Christopher, Kyle and Howard Jr.

Did Diane Addonizio write a book?

Yes. She authored He’s Just My Dad!: Portraits of Celebrity Athletes and Their Children, published in 2000.

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