Michael Long (footballer)

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Michael Long OAM
Long on The Long Walk in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Michael Long
Date of birth	(1969-10-01) 1 October 1969 (age 55)[1]
Place of birth	Tiwi Islands
Original team(s)	St Mary's/West Torrens
Draft	No. 23., 1988 national draft
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	82 kg (181 lb)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1986-1988	St Mary's	053 0(70)
1988	West Torrens	022 0(11)
1989–2001	Essendon	190 (143)
Total		265 (224)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
1988	Northern Territory	3 (9)
1993	QLD/NT	1 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2001.
Career highlights
Dual Essendon premiership player: 1993, 2000 Norm Smith Medal: 1993 All-Australian team: 1988, 1995 St Mary's premiership player: 1986–1987, 1987–1988 West Torrens best and fairest: 1988 VFL Rookie of the Year: 1989 Equal 4th in the Brownlow Medal: 1995 Australian Football Hall of Fame
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Michael Long OAM (born (1969-10-01)1 October 1969) is a former Australian rules footballer of Aboriginal descent who became a spokesperson for Indigenous rights and against racism in sport in Australia.

Long played in dual Australian Football League (AFL) premierships with the Essendon Football Club, including a Norm Smith Medal for his 1993 grand final performance. As an activist, he is credited with being instrumental in the introduction of a racial vilification code in the AFL in 1995 and the inspiration behind "The Long Walk" commemorating the Stolen Generations, now a strong AFL tradition. In August 2023, Long began a 650-kilometre (400 mi) walk between Melbourne and Canberra in support of the forthcoming Australian Indigenous Voice referendum. He completed the walk in 20 days and arrived in Canberra on 14 September 2023.