FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long said Thursday he was "very comfortable" with the way in which Razorbacks Coach Bobby Petrino left his most recent jobs at the University of Louisville and with the Atlanta Falcons.

Long also said he is confident his search for a head football coach ended with the right man, and that Petrino could stick around Fayetteville for a long time and be a very successful coach.

"I'm very comfortable that Bobby has found a place that he wants to stay for a long time," Long said on a snowy day in which he conducted the first series of individual media interviews of his tenure.

Long rattled off the reasons he believes Fayetteville could be a long-term destination for Petrino, who has been employed at 11 different places since he took his first full-time coaching position in 1985.

"I think the appeal of the SEC, the University of Arkansas being the flagship institution in the state, having that tremendous fan support and really having a recruiting base that we hope to maximize further, that allows him to do everything he wants to do in college: compete for a national championship," Long said. "That's what his goal is. That's what my goal is, and we believe we can do it here at the University of Arkansas.

" I think that's why we're both here."

While Petrino and his coaching staff are trying to finish strong in the recruiting battles, which culminate with Wednesday's national signing day, Long has finally gotten enough spare time to take a breath and begin meeting media members on a one-on-one basis.

It has been a whirlwind first few months on the job for Long, who was serving as an adviser to Chancellor John White and was athletic director appointee when he was charged with finding the man to head the Arkansas football program.

Long said a thorough search process was the key reason the timing worked out to land Petrino.

"Had we jumped earlier, this possibility of attracting Bobby Petrino would not have been there," Long said. "It took some time for the process to work and for him to become available from the Falcons."

Long maintained he abided by the Atlanta Falcons' decision to not grant him permission to speak to Petrino.

"That's important to me," Long said. "[Dallas Cowboys owner and Arkansas alumnus ] Jerry Jones did reach out on our behalf to the Falcons and he delivered their message that they were not giving permission, and I honored that.

" You know, also it's true in this world that representatives of coaches are talking all the time to ADs, to coaches, to everyone, and I did have some contact with his representative. But certainly we didn't have formal discussions, or any discussions with Bobby, until after he had stepped down from the Falcons."

Long also said the time has likely come for the Arkansas athletic department to patch up its relationship with former basketball Coach Nolan Richardson and to do something to recognize his 1994 NCAA champion team.

"I will tell you this, certainly Coach Richardson is part of our rich tradition here," Long said. "He won a national championship here.

" I have respect for Coach Richardson, and he's part of our tradition here. I know that Coach [John ] Pelphrey has reached out to him.

" I don't pretend to know the details of his departure from here. To me, that's in the past. I'm looking forward. I think sometimes time heals things. I'm hoping that at the appropriate time I have a chance to meet him and talk to him about Razorback athletics."

Richardson, who led the Razorbacks to three Final Fours, lost a discrimination lawsuit against the university after being fired in 2002. He sounded as if he was extending an olive branch to the university administration during a public speaking engagement this week in Springdale.

"The troops are changing," Richardson told The Associated Press, apparently referring to the departures of White and former athletic director Frank Broyles, with whom Richardson had a tumultuous relationship. "Hopefully it'll be a good change."

Richardson also seemed charged up by the Razorbacks'20-point victory over Mississippi State on Wednesday.

"Don't let them think for one minute that the mystique isn't still around," Richardson told the AP.

As for a special recognition for the 1994 Arkansas basketball team, Long sounds like he's on board.

"I understand that next year is the 15 th anniversary, and certainly we'd want to honor that team on that occasion, absolutely," he said.