Dick Leathers

McDonald, D. (1992, July 29). Last Hurrah For Bellefonte's Dick Leathers. Centre Daily Times, p37. 

Dick Leathers of Bellefonte is calling its quits after next week’s State VFW Teener baseball tournament. Leathers who has been a manager or coach at various levels since the late 1950s, will say goodbye after the eight-team State VFW Teener tournament concludes at the Bellefonte Teener Field in Parkview Heights Aug 9 or 10.

“I could have finished up after -we won the title last August at Punxsutawney,” Leathers said Tuesday, “but I always felt I would like to go out not so much on top or at the bottom but somewhere in between. And after we won, I thought we should defend the title with this group of kids next week”

Leathers a records supervisor at State Correctional Institution Rockview, has managed or coached everything from Little League to Teener to American Legion to Babe Ruth to Pony to County League to County Junior League.

And he has been successful to boot.

His 1961 team won State Babe Ruth honors at Phoenixville and his ’66 Teener All-Stars prevailed at Mifflintown.

In ’63 he managed Coleville to the regular-season County League title only to lose to Clarence in the postseason playoffs.

In ’75 the Bellefonte Teeners won area honors but went 1-2 in the double-elimination state tourney at Punxsutawney.

Bellefonte, in 1980, posted a 21-7 record in the Tri-County Legion League and finished third.

“I feel very fortunate,” Leathers said. “You don’t need a lot of success to get enjoyment. I've always felt that I wanted to give something back to the community and this was my contribution.”

As a youngster, Leathers said he wasn't allowed to participate in sports.

“It was just a case of fearful parents," he said.

At the ages of 15 and 16 though, Leathers played County Junior League ball and played it quite well.

“If I recall,” Leathers said, “Scott Harshbarger won the batting title and I finished second.”

Harshbarger was a standout athlete at State College before moving on to Harvard University.

Leathers gained some experience as a coach under the late Harold (Pickle) Rossman of the Bellefonte Little League in 1958.

That was the year Bellefonte won the state title at Williamsport.

“That was just about the time I started working at Rockview," Leathers said. “Physically I was at the game but I watched from the stands.”

Leathers said he managed Pony League ball in Bellefonte in '59.

“The following year,” he said, “we got a Babe Ruth League franchise. Then in '61 we won at Phoenixville.”

Later in the ’60s, he switched to managing County as well as Junior County League teams. Just some of the top players he managed included his brother Denny, Jim Ranio, Gary Orwig, Greg McMullen, Fred McMullin and Jim McMullen.

The next 12-year stretch — 1966 through 1977 — found Leathers managing at the Teener League level.

Denny DeWitt Dan Leitzell Sam Nastase Denny Ebeling & Co. were instrumental in leading Bellefonte's Teeners to the title at Mifflintown and eventually to Hershey for the National Teener tourney. Legion ball kept Leathers busy from 1978 through '81 After sitting out the 1982 season Leathers returned a year later as president of the Teener League.

In 1984, 1985 and 1986 Leathers managed Little League ball including his son Craig. "I wanted to manage him at the Teener level but it ended up I had him for Little League," Leathers said. "I tended to taka older kids and work with them, ones who at times were bypassed. But I probably have had more fun working with the Teeners overall. Teeners (ages 13 to 15) are so unpredictable, and I feel as an adult that I can influence a kid somewhat, which I don't think is true in Little League (ages 11-12). Teeners are harder to control and they have lots to decide."

Leathers, a rabid Pittsburgh Pirates ton said one disappointment is not managing a kid who made it to the major leagues.

His brother Denny, five years younger, signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1963 the same year the US Army drafted Dick.

Dick Leathers, however, is confident a former player, Eric Milton a member of last year's State VFW Teener championship team will make it to the major leagues as a pitcher.

Leathers resumed Teener managing several years ago and his last fling will come next week.

"I've jumped around," Leathers said, “sometimes following family or relatives. Had we not won last year, I would have left then. Denny Mason turned down the job last year and now it will be his turn next season to manage the All-Stars. We have a nice young team.

"I’ve been cheating my family (wife Helen, daughters Jill, 20, who will be attending Point Park College in Pittsburgh, and Alicia, 7, who be entering second grade) the last three years.

"My son (Craig) will be attending MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) starting Aug 27. Of course we’re proud of him. He's Bellefonte's first National Merit Scholarship winner in about five years."

Need any more be said?