Major: Business Administration
Hometown: Richmond, CA
Career Highlights: Two-year letter winner for Football
Biography: Leong played football at USF for two years in the late 1960s when the football program did not offer scholarships. He came to USF from Contra Costa College where he was a two-year starter at linebacker. After graduation, he became very involved with the USF Alumni Association.Â
Why Leong Chose USF: " I chose USF because it had a good reputation for Business majors, my likely career path. Also, I was interested in playing collegiate football having been a two-year starter at Contra Costa College and an All-Alameda County Athletic League Middle Linebacker at Harry Ells High School. With a desire to stay in Northern California, I considered attending UC Berkeley, but wanted to avoid the daily riots and distractions on that campus that were taking place in the late 1960s."
Favorite USF Memories: "My favorite memories were my interactions with my teammates who came from various backgrounds including the military. I appreciated the fact that none of us were on scholarship and essentially" worked our way through college." We had a garbage truck driver, someone who installed traffic pylons on the Golden Gate Bridge lanes at 5:00 am each morning, a bouncer at Earthquake McGoon's, someone who worked at the IRS and so on. I parked cars on Broadway three nights a week when Carol Doda invented the topless dancing craze."
The USF Student-Athlete Experience: "USF was an all-mens college when coeds were invited onto the Hilltop in 1964 and the first graduating coed class was in 1968. Men were expected to be polite and dress "appropriately." No shorts, tank tops or flip flops. Eventually the women took over the campus and now comprise 64% of the student body."
Did You Know?: Leong attended Perry Ellis High School in Richmond, California. Fellow graduates include legendary USF men's basketball coach Bob Gaillard (class of 1958) and former Green Bay Packers running back Travis Williams (class of 1963). Leong played with Williams in high school, and they were teammates at Contra Costa College.Â
Life After USF: Following graduation, Leong earned his Master's Degree in Organizational Development and Human Resources. He was a leading member of the USF Alumni Association from 1994-2005 serving as president for two years. Leong currently works as the Associate Director for Alumni Relations at USF. He's married to his wife Cathy, and the two of them can be seen often attending USF sporting events and fundraisers.Â
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