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The notion of a Chinese kicker making field goals and extra points may seem a little strange, but Long Ding, a native of Qingdao in China, has shown he is at home on the gridiron having helped Dean College (Mass.) to a perfect 10-0 record this season.

Long is currently in his freshman year at Dean College, a two-year school in Franklin, Mass., having spent a postgraduate year at New Hampton School in New Hampshire through the USA Football International Student Program.

The program is currently in its third year and gives international students like Long the opportunity to fulfill their dream of playing ‘American' football while receiving an education at U.S. prep schools. This year the program has 12 athletes from four countries participating.

New Hampton School proved to be the perfect grounding for Long last year, and with the help of his prep school football coach, David Perfield, he found Dean College to be an easy transition into college life.

"If I didn't go to New Hampton I would not have found this college," Long explained. "I needed help with the application and my coach told me how to do that. They helped me a lot."

Perfield put Long in contact with Dean College football coach Todd Vasey, who had no reservations about accepting a Chinese kicker, no matter how unusual the prospect.

"I have never experienced any international players from China in our program," Vasey said. "We have had some Japanese students because we have an extensive Japanese population on our campus, but I really didn't put much thought into it.I trusted Coach Perfield, and we felt Long would be a good fit."

As Dean College surged to capture a second straight North East Football Conference Championship, Long reliably split the uprights with consistent accuracy. His 30-yard field goal set the Bulldogs on their way to a 38-28 win over Lackawanna to close the regular season, and they now wait to see if a NJCAA bowl game will come calling for December.

Unlike most athletes on the team, Long arrived at Dean College early to enroll in a series of summer sessions and attended the school's language program to work on his English. His grasp of the language is much improved since he first arrived at New Hampton in the fall of 2007. Back then, he communicated with a combination of hand signals and very basic English but has since become comfortable holding regular conversations.

Having not returned to his native China since first coming to the United States more than a year ago, Long could be forgiven for missing his home country.

But when asked if he was ever homesick and wished he could return home, he simply said "No" and smiled contentedly.

A reason for the lack of homesickness may come down to the success he is experiencing at Dean College. The Bulldogs have convincingly defeated each opponent they faced so far this season, with the exception of a couple close contests.

Long explained the reason for the team's success, adding: "We have a good coach, good teammates and good teamwork. We were successful last year, and some people did not leave. Most players here are sophomores, so that is really good."

Head coach Vasey has been impressed with Long's ability as a kicker, especially when considering he has played football for only a relatively short amount of time compared to other athletes. Long did not attempt so much as a competitive extra point until his first season at New Hampton in 2007.

"He was very well coached prior to coming here, and he has a tremendous work ethic," Vasey said. "We have tried to not mess him up and just gave him a few reminders about certain techniques."

Overall, Long is enjoying a very positive experience at Dean College and is majoring in Business Administration, taking five classes - English, accounting, history, microeconomics, and FYS which is a class to help students study.

He does admit that classes prove to be hard work and do not allow him much free time. But he is hoping that his efforts both on and off the field will help him fulfill his dream of playing top-flight college football.

"I think my football skills are good enough even for Division I," Long said. "I just have never had the chance to talk to those coaches. Hopefully being here will help."

Never one to set the bar too low, Long even has ambitious aspirations for after college.

"The first year out of school, I want to try professional football," he admitted. "If I can, I want to try to work here too, but if not I'll go back to China."

But for now he is enjoying his time with his new friends and teammates at Dean, and the feeling seems to be mutual.

"He is fantastic," Vasey said. "The team loves him and he seems very happy to be here. He wants to stay here, and I am committed to do as much as I can for him here and help him find a new home when the time comes."