Jim Leonard

Who was Jim Leonard?

James Raymond Leonard, Sr. was an American football running back in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles, as well as the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1945.

Leonard was a two sport star at the University of Notre Dame during the 1930s, both as a pitcher in baseball and a fullback in football. After Notre Dame he played for the Philadelphia Eagles for three seasons and was team captain 1935-1936. He left the Eagles to start the football program at Saint Francis College in Loretto, Pennsylvania in 1937.

In 1942 he joined the NFL again as a staff coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, then served as an assistant at the College of the Holy Cross in 1943 before returning to the Steelers as head coach during the 1945 campaign. He finished his career as the head coach of Villanova University from 1949 to 1951.