Steve Leech
Chief Administrative Officer
Steve Leech was born and raised in the great City of Memphis 1950. Childhood neighborhood was in Oakhaven community in southeast Memphis. My parents were also longtime Memphians Tommy and Maxine Leech. I had four brothers, Tommy, Billy, Lynn, and Tommy Joe, all attending grade school at St. Paul’s in Whitehaven and Catholic and Bishop Byrne High Schools.
At a young age his father taught them the importance of responsibility and accountability through sports and academics. While attending St. Paul he played four sports and lettered every year in football, baseball, basketball, and track. He received many records and awards in all of them and finished tenth in classroom academics. These honors earned him high school scholarships to Catholic High and Christian Brothers. He chose Catholic High School for Boys in 1964. Presiding principal and head coach was Father Morris and Ollie Keller. The following years Catholic High became a great academic and sports program that is remembered by many today.
Catholic rose to the top 5 in the state of Tennessee in football, baseball, basketball and track. Leech was fortunate to be part of those great times. He quarterbacked in football, played centerfield in baseball, guard in basketball, and ran in all the relays. The Memphis records held by the school, he, and teammates were unprecedented in those years.
The football team won the City championship in 1966 vs. White Station, co-champions in 1967 with Christian Brothers, and runner-up champions in 1968 with Christian Brothers. He received All American status, All State, All Memphis, and player of the year in Memphis 1966 and 1967. The won loss record in those three years was 30-2-1. They played and won 2 away games in Jackson, Tennessee: the Chemical Bowl in Middle TN vs. Columbia, McMinnville bowl in East Tennessee, and the Blind Bowl at the Memphis Fairgrounds against Treadwell.
Their success and recognition in Memphis did not stop there. Their baseball team (Cedar Grove Dairy) in the summer league finished in the top three in the regional in which I received all Memphis in two of those years. They played and defeated Kingsbury Hays Brantley, Speros Ross Grimsley, and Central Willie Dill, to name a few.
Basketball also improved with several trips to the finals against Treadwell Curry Todd, Kingsbury Mike Butler, and Frayser Mansfield brothers. Leech received All Memphis honors for two years. Track team posted regional and state records in all the relays in 1966, 1967, and 1968. He ran in the second position. Memphis was well represented during these years.
Leech finished with many Memphis records in football which held their ground over several years and was offered 135 football scholarships, 5 basketball, and 3 baseball.
He graduated from Catholic High in top ten academically and chose Memphis State’s scholarship in football. Leech loved Memphis and chose to stay and play for the Tigers in football. Coach Spook Murphy was the head coach with back coach Red Hogget. During my college years we won the Missouri conference twice and appeared in very first bowl game in 1971 at the Pasadena Bowl and defeated Jose State 28 to 9. We also defeated teams like North Texas with Mean Joe Green, Houston, Virginia Tech, and Florida State.
After leaving Memphis State Leech pursued a career with City of Memphis police department where he served the citizens for 9 years and also received my accounting degree. Later he earned his CPA license. He left the police department and joined Holiday Inns (headquarters in Memphis) accounting staff. Over the next 9 years he reached the position of controller with Holiday Inns Hi-Net division. As a successful CPA, Leech transferred to several companies in Maryland, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania over next 20 years.
Leech raised three children during this time in which two live in the Memphis area. He also has five grandchildren in Memphis.
Leech's current home is in St. Michaels, Maryland, where he resides with his wife, Karen. He does have, however, an apartment here in Memphis and is currently serving the present Sheriff Floyd Bonner, Jr. as Chief Administrative Officer. He just completed nine years of service, performing these duties since September 2011. In his words, "I truly love Memphis and my family. I have great memories and family here."
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