John (Buddy) E. Leake

John E. (Buddy) Leake, Jr. was born on May 25, 1933 to John and Lucille (Hill) Leake in Memphis, Tennessee. In Memphis, Buddy was a standout football player at Christian Brothers High School where he was named All-Memphis, All-State, and All-Southern in 1950. Recruited by the legendary coach, Bud Wilkinson, Buddy played halfback, defensive back and kicker for the Oklahoma Sooner teams from 1951 to 1954. He was named a Walter Camp All-American kicker in 1952 and an All Big-Seven Conference halfback in 1954. Buddy scored 243 points as a Sooner, setting an Oklahoma football school record which held for 15 years until Heisman winner Steve Owens broke it in 1969. Buddy was also an All Big-Seven shortstop for the Sooners baseball team. After graduating from OU in 1955, Buddy played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1955 – 1957. In 1957, he won the Dave Dryburgh Memorial Trophy for most points scored in the CFL. After football, Buddy joined the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company in Memphis where he was an award winning agent and Lifetime Member of the Million Dollar Round Table in a career spanning over fifty years. He also served on the Liberty Bowl Team Selection Committee and was named President of the Liberty Bowl Festival Association in 1976. After returning to Oklahoma in 1979, Buddy served as President of the Oklahoma Chapter, National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame which awarded over two hundred Oklahoma Scholar –Athlete football players over a quarter of a million dollars in academic scholarships during his tenure. For his service to college football, Buddy received the 1993 Contribution to Amateur Football Award from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in New York City. In 1997, Buddy was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tennessee. Preceded in death by his daughter, Terry Zepernick and his son Steve, he is survived by his wife of 61 years, Carolyn; children, Colonel Pat Leake and wife Michele, Tim Leake and wife Mary, Cindy Leake, Nancy Woodson, Kristen Crane and husband Berney, Susanne Cato and husband Todd; 24 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren.