Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 21, 1994 TAG: 9406210005
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By ANDREA KUHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A fixture in the W&L athletic department the past 34 years, Leslie will announce his retirement today.
He is only the second golf coach at W&L since the program was started . . . in 1927. Leslie was an assistant for 12 years under Cy Twombly, who coached the Generals from 1927 until his death in 1975.
"It's amazing. It really is," said Mike Walsh, W & L's athletic director. "I can't think of another program in the country that can make such a boast. It's really phenomenal considering the success we've had."
And after 34 years, Leslie is understandably nostalgic about his departure.
"It's a little tough to let go," he said. "But, of course, I'll remember the good times and the high points."
There have been many celebrated occasions for Leslie, who has produced 20 winning seasons in his 20 years of directing the Generals' golf program.
Leslie's teams compiled a record of 261-44-4, won seven Old Dominion Athletic Conference titles and made five NCAA tournament appearances. He was named the ODAC's top coach seven times, including this season when the Generals won their record seventh league championship.
"Winning the ODAC and coach of the year, I just thought this was a good time to go," said Leslie, who has battled leukemia since 1990.
"My health was partly the reason, but I'm fortunate to have regained a lot of my strength. . . . The overriding factor was that I had just coached long enough."
Leslie, 69, has lived in Rockbridge County his entire life with the exception of a stint in the Pacific during World War II.
He was an all-star quarterback at Lexington High School in the early 1940s. After his duty in the Pacific, Leslie enrolled at W & L where he became a standout pitcher and outfielder for the Generals' baseball team. The school's annual most valuable pitcher award bears his name.
After graduation, Leslie took a teaching job at Natural Bridge High School where he coached football, basketball and baseball.
He joined W&L's physical education department in 1960 and was an assistant football coach under Lee McLaughlin. Leslie took over the football program after McLaughlin's death in 1967 and led the Generals to a 16-28-1 record in five seasons.
Leslie, an instructor in the physical education department, will teach one more semester in the fall.
Walsh said he hadn't given much thought yet to who he will hire to replace Leslie. However, he said, if possible, he would like to hire from within the W & L athletic department.
by CNB