http://www.panews.com/articles/2004/05/14/sports/news01.txt
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LEGEND & CARETAKER: Leopold: quite a Titan in coaching
By Tom Halliburton - The News Sports Writer
A cloudy, windy afternoon descends upon the Port Arthur ISD auxiliary field just a couple of days before regional track weekend as Darrell Granger thinks about Leroy Leopold.
"He's been like a father figure to me," said Granger, Leopold's assistant coach and former record-setting quarter-miler from 1987.
Moments later, another interview with girls track coach Debra Arvie contains incredibly similar thoughts about the beloved, legendary 68-year-old track and field coach of 37 years for the Lincoln BumbleBees and the past two more for the Memorial Titans.
"We're talking about a very strong man here," Arvie said. "He's like a father to all these young men."
.... Another cloudy, windy afternoon greets the same venue just a couple of days before state track weekend. The subject remains Leopold but the interviewed individual hails from a much newer era. He's a Memorial senior with three years of Leopold's influence into his life.
Even though Danny Gorrer may be much younger than Darrell Granger or Debra Arvie, the perspective on "Wolf" stays identical.
"I look at coach Leopold like a father figure," the Texas A&M-bound senior said. "He will do anything for you. Coach Leopold will go to the end of the line for anyone.
"He has helped me to understand that business comes before pleasure. I know his influence will help me later on in my life."
It already has.
Since his parents had separated earlier in his life, the teenage Gorrer grew up in an environment with his mother Yulander Simpson and older brother Coreyan. A father figure was not always present. But Leopold freely offers that same unwavering constant for high school youngsters, just as he did with his son Bobby, just as he did 10 or 20 years ago, just as he did 30 or 40 years ago.
Several state champions, several changed lives, several solid citizens have benefitted from his darn-near unchanging leadership. Why has Leopold stayed much the same man as he was 50 years back? Because if it was good enough for Leroy then, it's still good enough for him now.
Leopold and his Lincoln high school sweetheart Evelyn Guidry were married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Port Arthur in March, 1955. They still worship at the same church today.
That means a Leopold Golden Anniversary is very much in the plans for next March. That time frame would mark the 40th head coaching season for Leopold in PAISD high school track. It would also be the final year for Jamaal Charles, one of the extremely special pupils whom Leopold has ever coached.
Leopold's Memorial team very easily could sweep three relay gold medal titles on Saturday for the first time in University Interscholastic League boys track history. Yet even with those 60 points, Memorial is not favored to win the state 5A boys team championship.
Katy Cinco Ranch may possess enough depth to win that honor anyway even if Memorial can compile its desired 60.
Leopold would love to go out with a state title -- which would be the first state championship in Memorial's sports history -- but that may be out of his control. Leopold tends to excel at things of which he can control.
As of now, Leroy plans to coach again next season. But who knows? If the Titans win it all on Saturday, "Wolf'' may change his mind and go out on top.... with state championships to fill a huge trophy case, the sharp-minded, intense, able-bodied Leopold has deserved the right to make that determination and call that shot by himself.
None of his daily observers will dispute any shortage or dropoff in Leopold's intensity. He wants every quarter-mile lap, every sprint, every handoff, every takeoff done just right.
"I still see the intensity in him, the love for track and field that he had 20 years ago," Granger said. "He's still the coach Leopold I knew when I was running. His dedication is incredible. He's still going around at every practice, making it be done the right way. I know I've learned a lot from him since I came back from USL."
Leopold has been a caretaker for Port Arthur's extraordinary success in track and field. He felt that obligation before Lincoln went through its final commencement exercises two years ago. He voiced his intent to "coach at the new high school for at least a couple of years."
A couple of years have passed. Memorial's tracksters arguably have experienced as much and more success than athletes in any other sport. Leopold could call it quits on a career if he wanted. But unless he changes his mind, Leroy says he plans to keep coaching in the fall. Maybe... unless he changes his mind.
"It's close," he paused, contemplated the thought and continued to carefully choose his words. "It's close..."
Leopold's highlights have been many, especially when his son Bobby became a star for Notre Dame and a member of the Super Bowl champion San Francisco Forty-Niners. But his PAISD commitments in teaching classes, and coaching football and track have limited his time away from work. Leopold went to Notre Dame only once. He caught up with the Super Bowl (SBXVI) only once, too. His involvement with summer recreation track has been time-consuming, too... so much so that Leroy's time away from work has been minimal.
"It's going to be an adjustment for me because I still really love the track and field. I still enjoy the classes, too... but there comes a time... and it's about time to spend more time with my wife and do things we haven't been able to do."
By remaining a caring, down-to-earth communicator, the Titans track coach never has become out of touch with the Danny Gorrers and Josh Reeds of today.
Leroy offered a simple justification for continuing to care.
"If you aren't going to give it all you've got, you shouldn't keep doing it," he said. "I've been very fortunate to have had a good rapport with all these young people."
That rapport heavily factored into the complexion of this current Titans track season. Gorrer was extremely serious about track as a Lincoln freshman but senioritis easily could have shot down Danny this year. He spent the winter caught up heavily in football recruiting trips before signing with A&M. A hamstring strain at the early-March YMBL invitational really cut into Gorrer's availability.
Half of Gorrer's season went down the drain... enough that Gorrer could have blown off this stuff right now. But Leopold had been there for Gorrer before now. Just as Leopold has been there for Big Joe Washington, Melvin Getwood, Ora Smith, Richard Williams, Cordell Lindsey, the list goes on and on.
"Out of everything, being hurt this year like that crushed me the most," Gorrer said. "But this man always has helped me when times have been hard for me."
When Gorrer strides through his anchor laps, he will want to give it all he's got... for a man and a program that have given Danny the same.
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LEGEND & CARETAKER: Leopold: quite a Titan in coaching
By Tom Halliburton - The News Sports Writer
A cloudy, windy afternoon descends upon the Port Arthur ISD auxiliary field just a couple of days before regional track weekend as Darrell Granger thinks about Leroy Leopold.
"He's been like a father figure to me," said Granger, Leopold's assistant coach and former record-setting quarter-miler from 1987.
Moments later, another interview with girls track coach Debra Arvie contains incredibly similar thoughts about the beloved, legendary 68-year-old track and field coach of 37 years for the Lincoln BumbleBees and the past two more for the Memorial Titans.
"We're talking about a very strong man here," Arvie said. "He's like a father to all these young men."
.... Another cloudy, windy afternoon greets the same venue just a couple of days before state track weekend. The subject remains Leopold but the interviewed individual hails from a much newer era. He's a Memorial senior with three years of Leopold's influence into his life.
Even though Danny Gorrer may be much younger than Darrell Granger or Debra Arvie, the perspective on "Wolf" stays identical.
"I look at coach Leopold like a father figure," the Texas A&M-bound senior said. "He will do anything for you. Coach Leopold will go to the end of the line for anyone.
"He has helped me to understand that business comes before pleasure. I know his influence will help me later on in my life."
It already has.
Since his parents had separated earlier in his life, the teenage Gorrer grew up in an environment with his mother Yulander Simpson and older brother Coreyan. A father figure was not always present. But Leopold freely offers that same unwavering constant for high school youngsters, just as he did with his son Bobby, just as he did 10 or 20 years ago, just as he did 30 or 40 years ago.
Several state champions, several changed lives, several solid citizens have benefitted from his darn-near unchanging leadership. Why has Leopold stayed much the same man as he was 50 years back? Because if it was good enough for Leroy then, it's still good enough for him now.
Leopold and his Lincoln high school sweetheart Evelyn Guidry were married at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Port Arthur in March, 1955. They still worship at the same church today.
That means a Leopold Golden Anniversary is very much in the plans for next March. That time frame would mark the 40th head coaching season for Leopold in PAISD high school track. It would also be the final year for Jamaal Charles, one of the extremely special pupils whom Leopold has ever coached.
Leopold's Memorial team very easily could sweep three relay gold medal titles on Saturday for the first time in University Interscholastic League boys track history. Yet even with those 60 points, Memorial is not favored to win the state 5A boys team championship.
Katy Cinco Ranch may possess enough depth to win that honor anyway even if Memorial can compile its desired 60.
Leopold would love to go out with a state title -- which would be the first state championship in Memorial's sports history -- but that may be out of his control. Leopold tends to excel at things of which he can control.
As of now, Leroy plans to coach again next season. But who knows? If the Titans win it all on Saturday, "Wolf'' may change his mind and go out on top.... with state championships to fill a huge trophy case, the sharp-minded, intense, able-bodied Leopold has deserved the right to make that determination and call that shot by himself.
None of his daily observers will dispute any shortage or dropoff in Leopold's intensity. He wants every quarter-mile lap, every sprint, every handoff, every takeoff done just right.
"I still see the intensity in him, the love for track and field that he had 20 years ago," Granger said. "He's still the coach Leopold I knew when I was running. His dedication is incredible. He's still going around at every practice, making it be done the right way. I know I've learned a lot from him since I came back from USL."
Leopold has been a caretaker for Port Arthur's extraordinary success in track and field. He felt that obligation before Lincoln went through its final commencement exercises two years ago. He voiced his intent to "coach at the new high school for at least a couple of years."
A couple of years have passed. Memorial's tracksters arguably have experienced as much and more success than athletes in any other sport. Leopold could call it quits on a career if he wanted. But unless he changes his mind, Leroy says he plans to keep coaching in the fall. Maybe... unless he changes his mind.
"It's close," he paused, contemplated the thought and continued to carefully choose his words. "It's close..."
Leopold's highlights have been many, especially when his son Bobby became a star for Notre Dame and a member of the Super Bowl champion San Francisco Forty-Niners. But his PAISD commitments in teaching classes, and coaching football and track have limited his time away from work. Leopold went to Notre Dame only once. He caught up with the Super Bowl (SBXVI) only once, too. His involvement with summer recreation track has been time-consuming, too... so much so that Leroy's time away from work has been minimal.
"It's going to be an adjustment for me because I still really love the track and field. I still enjoy the classes, too... but there comes a time... and it's about time to spend more time with my wife and do things we haven't been able to do."
By remaining a caring, down-to-earth communicator, the Titans track coach never has become out of touch with the Danny Gorrers and Josh Reeds of today.
Leroy offered a simple justification for continuing to care.
"If you aren't going to give it all you've got, you shouldn't keep doing it," he said. "I've been very fortunate to have had a good rapport with all these young people."
That rapport heavily factored into the complexion of this current Titans track season. Gorrer was extremely serious about track as a Lincoln freshman but senioritis easily could have shot down Danny this year. He spent the winter caught up heavily in football recruiting trips before signing with A&M. A hamstring strain at the early-March YMBL invitational really cut into Gorrer's availability.
Half of Gorrer's season went down the drain... enough that Gorrer could have blown off this stuff right now. But Leopold had been there for Gorrer before now. Just as Leopold has been there for Big Joe Washington, Melvin Getwood, Ora Smith, Richard Williams, Cordell Lindsey, the list goes on and on.
"Out of everything, being hurt this year like that crushed me the most," Gorrer said. "But this man always has helped me when times have been hard for me."
When Gorrer strides through his anchor laps, he will want to give it all he's got... for a man and a program that have given Danny the same.