AP Source: San Diego State coach Rocky Long retiring

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rocky Long is retiring as San Diego State’s football coach after taking the Aztecs to nine straight bowl games, a person familiar with the situation said Wednesday.

The person spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move hadn’t been announced. The school has scheduled a news conference for 2 p.m. PST to make what it said was a major announcement.

The Aztecs were 10-3 last season, capped by a 48-11 victory over Central Michigan in the New Mexico Bowl.

Long turns 70 on Jan. 27.

Many observers expect Brady Hoke, a former head coach at Ball State, SDSU and Michigan, to replace Long, although the person who spoke with the AP said that wasn’t a certainty.

Hoke hired Long as his defensive coordinator at SDSU in 2009. Long replaced Hoke as head coach after he took the Michigan job before the 2011 season. Hoke was fired after four seasons at Michigan and returned to SDSU last fall as defensive line coach.

Long was 81-38 and took the Aztecs to a bowl game in all nine seasons. That extended the school-record streak to 10 after Hoke took them to the Poinsettia Bowl in 2010.

SDSU won 10 or more games in four of the last five seasons, and also won three Mountain West Conference championships under Long.

Long was 65-69 in 11 seasons as head coach at New Mexico.

There were reports Monday that Long was looking for a job as a defensive coordinator at a Power Five school, including Syracuse. He also reportedly was under pressure to fire offensive coordinator Jeff Horton.

SDSU issued a statement saying Long was simply visiting other schools to talk about his 3-3-5 defensive schemes and to solicit ideas he could implement.