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David Long, DPM, treats a patient’s foot.

Some may say that David Long, DPM, has a thing for stripes — black and white ones that is. From his referee uniform to the zebras he raises on his farm in Martin, Tenn., to knowing he would be a doctor, this podiatrist does seem to like things in his world to be black and white.

Long, who grew up in Northeast Iowa in the small town of Laurens, knew from an early age that he would be a doctor. It was the influence of a podiatrist near his hometown that led him to pursue podiatry as his specialty.

“My parents say that from the time I was six or seven I was saying I would go into medicine, and I never changed my mind,” said Long. “When I would come home from college, I would spend time with a podiatrist who practiced near Laurens. I loved the fact that as a podiatrist he saw such a variety of patients who ranged in age from three to over 90. The surgical aspect of podiatry and the variety of different things you treat each day also were very appealing to me.”

A pre-med major at the University of Iowa, Long finished his undergraduate degree in just three years. In 1984, he entered the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences, College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery in Des Moines, Iowa. Graduating in 1988, Long headed for warmer regions for his surgical residency to the Universal Medical Center/The Orthopedic Institute in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“I spent my fourth year of rotation in medical school in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami area,” said Long. “When it came time to look at residency options I looked there and at Baptist in Memphis. I matched in Florida so I headed to the sunshine state for my two- year residency.”

In 1990, Long moved to the volunteer state and went into practice at Martin Medical Center. “The area was rural, much like where I had grown up, and I liked the college town atmosphere of Martin,” said Long. “When I was in Miami, I could walk out my door and see the top two floors of the hospital, and it still took me 30 minutes to get there. I knew I wanted a much smaller town and a shorter commute town when I went into practice. The Martin area was perfect.”

After a couple of years, Long moved to the Eastwood Clinic in Paris, Tenn., where he still practices today. He and his wife of 17 years, Sarah, whom he met when he moved to Martin, have a 98-acre farm there. They have two sons, Jordan, 15, and Micheal, 12.

When not practicing, Long has two interesting hobbies that have one thing in common, black and white stripes. As a high school football referee, Long can be found on the grid iron on Friday nights in his black-and white-striped jersey. If you pass his farm, you may have to look twice since you will see black and white stripes there as well. Long has raised zebras on his farm for the past 15 years.

“I grew up on a farm where we raised sheep. When I had my own farm, I knew I wanted something different and zebras fit the bill,” said Long, whose has eight zebras on the farm, a stallion, four mares and their offspring. “They are very well adapted to the environment of Northwest Tennessee. The only time they come in is when it is cold and the wind is really blowing. People know we have them and will stop by looking for them. Zoos know we breed them as well and usually are interested in the babies once they reach about six months old.”

As for the other stripes in his life, Long’s passion for the pigskin has taken him from coaching his boys to serving as team physician on the sidelines for middle school, high school, college and professional football teams, including the Oakland Raiders when they played Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl. “All that was left for me to do when I gave up being a team doctor was to referee, which I have done for the past five years,” said Long, who is a member of the Northwest Association of Referees that covers games for Lake County, Ripley, Halls, Gibson County, McKenzie and Paris High Schools and play-off games for the region. “I love it. It has really been a neat experience,” he said.

Long, who has served as president of the Tennessee Podiatric Medical Association (TPMA), was named 2011 Podiatrist of the Year by the organization. The TPMA is the professional organization that represents the approximately 100 podiatrists in Tennessee. The annual award, which is given in memory of Dr. Harry Casson of Maryville, recognizes outstanding service to the field of podiatry by a podiatrist.

Long, who is who is board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgeons and the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, has served as chairman of the board of podiatric medical examiners for the past eight years, a position appointed by the governor. “As the medical examiner, I grant and take licenses away,” said Long. “I also served as president of the Tennessee Podiatric Medical Association from 2003-2005 and remain active in the legislative process of changing the scope of practice for podiatry in the state of Tennessee.”

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