SAN ANTONIO – Boerne ISD Athletic Director Stan Leech has received many honors in his illustrious coaching career, and one of the biggest honors came last Saturday night.
Leech was officially inducted into the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame at a ceremony held during the annual TABC convention’s closing dinner.
In an interview prior to the ceremony with Greg Sherman, Leech said he was honored when the TABC selection committee called him to let him know he was being inducted.
“It’s very exciting, it’s one of those things that once you get to that point, you know it’s possible and when the committee calls you, all those years flash in front of you or behind you,” he said.
Leech was one of eight from around the state inducted last Saturday night and because of Boerne’s proximity to San Antonio, Leech had by far the largest crowd of supporters, five tables of about 50 people total.
Leech did his best to recognize as many of the 50 people there as possible during his 17-minute speech.
Leech started by talking about his family – his parents and his brother – along with childhood friends and growing up in Brownfield, Texas. His parents both passed away recently.
Leech began his coaching career in the early 1980s and mentioned to his wife Carla in 1982, “We’re going to coach. What do you think of that?”
Carla responded, “I’ll go wherever you go, just don’t be an idiot.”
Leech mentioned that he and Carla have been married for 43 years and gave credit to her for his success.
“Carla is the greatest coach’s wife of all time, no doubt,” he said. “When we go through HEB, nobody is scared of me, but they’re not messing with Carla Leech.” After coaching stints in Copperas Cove, Yorktown and even a short stay at Tarleton University as the head volleyball coach, Leech moved his family to Boerne in 1986 where his children Courtney and Coby grew up and both graduated high school.
Leech has been the Boerne ISD Athletic Director since 1999 and said he doesn’t plan on going anywhere, anytime soon.
“I’ll continue to work because I love it. I’m not any good at golf, I don’t hunt, I don’t fish and I don’t play cards,” he said. “I do like walking, but you can only walk so much. I’ll be working as an AD and in athletics until I literally and physically cannot, I’m a lifer.” Leech said one of the reasons he was hired as the new head coach at Boerne High as a 25-year-old in 1986 was because very few applied for the job.
“Not many people wanted it,” he said. “They had finished last in a 3A district and were moving up (to 4A).”
In the first year that the UIL allowed the 3-point shot in 1987, Boerne High led the state with the most 3s taken and made in Texas.
“When they had the 3-point shot our world changed,” said Leech, who has a plaque commemorating the achievement of the most made and taken 3s that first year.
Leech coached the Greyhounds for the next 22 years and had some memorable seasons like in 1990 and 2008 when they won the region and played at the state tournament.
The 1990 team is considered the best basketball team in Boerne ISD history and is the only BISD squad to win a state semifinal game at the tournament. They did it by upsetting the No. 1 team in the state at the time, Port Arthur Lincoln.
“It’s the greatest upset in state tournament history,” Leech said.
After his 22 years at BHS, Leech moved to Champion where he coached for another 10 years before retiring from coaching in 2018 after 32 years at BISD.
Along the way, Leech accumulated a record of 833-324, won 12 district championships, made the playoffs 27 times and was named one of the UIL’s top 100 coaches in their first 100 years.
Leech said none of it would be possible without his former players and former assistant coaches and he thanked them, many of whom were in attendance.
Leech thanked his friends, school board members and the media and also mentioned his grandson Jack Wells. He even gave a shout out to members of his Sunday school class from First Baptist Church in Boerne, who were in attendance.
Leech closed out his speech by talking about God. He reflected upon a sermon where the preacher told the people to “Go in joy.”
“God is in charge and nobody else; bad things are going to happen for His greater good and God uses people to help other people,” Leech said. “God used Brownfield, Texas. I had friends, I had coaches and I had support. Because God uses other people, this little old boy got to fulfill every one of his dreams.”
“Go in joy,” is how he ended his speech.
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