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Keith LeClair congratulates a
player during East Carolina's run to an NCAA regional championship
in Wilson during the 2001 season. (AP Archives File Photo) |
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LeClair's name has
staying power with
Conference USA
From Conference USA reports His tenure as
East Carolina's head coach recently came to a premature conclusion, but his
impact on his players and his opponents was powerful enough that Conference
USA will indefinitely keep Keith LeClair's name in the annual spotlight.
The league's baseball coach of the year award has been re-named in honor of
LeClair. Beginning in 2003, the award will be referred to as 'The Keith
LeClair Coach of the Year Award', the conference office announced Wednesday.
A highly successful player and coach at Western Carolina
before taking the reigns of the ECU program, LeClair stepped down after five
seasons as the Pirates head coach on June 19, citing health reasons.
During the summer of 2001, the 35-year old LeClair was
diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), an affliction also known
as �Lou Gehrig�s Disease.�
With his health deteriorating, LeClair was unable to coach
his team from the dugout most of this past season. However, he did continue
to attend games, sitting in a specially-designed van that contained a
ventilator to aid in his breathing. Virtually unable to speak any longer, he
uses an alphabet board to communicate with others.
�The fight, courage and determination that Keith has shown
while fighting this disease have been inspirational to his team, as well as
to players, administrators and coaches around our league,� said Conference
USA Commissioner Mike Slive. �It is with that in mind that we want to
re-name this award in his honor.�
"The coaches in the Conference USA feel Keith exemplifies
every quality that the 'Coach of the Year' award stands for,� said South
Florida head coach Eddie Cardieri, chair of the league�s baseball coaches.
�He is a great coach, a great person and an inspiration to everyone in
baseball with his outstanding work ethic. Keith has always been a tremendous
competitor as he has shown through his illness. He is a true champion."
In 1992, LeClair became Western Carolina�s head coach at the
age of 25. In his first season, he led Western Carolina to the Southern
Conference regular season and tournament championships. The team, which
finished with a No. 17 national ranking, advanced to the NCAA Tournament and
came within one game of making the College World Series field, falling to
Florida State in the championship game of the South Regional.
His 1994 Catamount team posted a school-record 45 wins and
earned the program's first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA postseason. In his
six seasons at WCU, he posted a record of 229-135-2, led WCU to four NCAA
Tournament berths, and was Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 1992,
1994, and 1997.
LeClair continued that success upon arriving at East
Carolina in 1997. The second-winningest coach in ECU history, his teams won
43 or more games in each of the last four seasons, advancing to NCAA
Tournament play each time, and have been ranked in the national Top 25 polls
each of the last three seasons. The 2002 Pirates won the Conference USA
Tournament title in the school's first season in the league.
LeClair has earned Colonial Athletic Association Coach of
the Year and ABCA East Region Coach of the Year honors twice. As a player,
assistant coach, and head coach, he has been a part of 13 NCAA Tournament
teams.
LeClair, who has been integral in the push for the building of a new,
state-of-the-art baseball stadium on the ECU campus, remains with the ECU
athletics department as a special assistant to Director of Athletics Mike
Hamrick.
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