East Texas legend Leon Black passes away at 89

Published 7:27 pm Tuesday, October 12, 2021

Leon Black, who grew up on his family’s farm near Martin’s Mill and went on to star on the basketball court as both a player and coach, passed away on Tuesday surrounded by family in his Austin home.

Coach Black was 89. He was born on Feb. 21, 1932 to Peron and Lillian Black.

Along with his chores, he grew to love basketball, the sport that made his Martin’s Mill High School famous. Black, just 5-8, learned to jump on the farm, taking a single step and dunking the basketball.

During his senior year as a Mustang, he was acting coach and starting point guard, leading Martin’s Mill to a 54-4 record and the 1949 Texas State Championship. That season, eight teams earned berths in the state tournament. The Mustangs won over Marfa (38-24) in the quarterfinals, followed by a 40-38 win over Waelder. In the championship game, Martin’s Mill defeated Livingston Big Sandy 39-33 for the Class B state title.

The future Texas High School Hall of Famer led the Mustangs, along with his teammate O’Neal Weaver, to a 109-8 record his junior and senior seasons.

The Piney Woods hoop star had always wanted to be a Longhorn. All seven Southwest Conference schools, along with Oklahoma, LSU and Notre Dame, offered Black scholarships but he knew all along he would go to Austin.

After Martin’s Mill, Black headed to the 40 Acres and played for the Texas Longhorns. He became starting point guard and captain. He graduated with his bachelor’s degree and his Masters of Education. Black was also a member of the Texas Cowboys.

Black was a three-year letterwinner for Texas (1950-53). In his sophomore season in 1950-51 under head coach Jack Gray, the Longhorns won a share of the Southwest Conference regular-season title. Black played his final two years at UT for head coach Thurman “Slue” Hull.

After UT and service in the Army, Black began coaching at what is now Schreiner University in Kerrville.

Then, Black was the head coach at Van High School, leading the Vandals to a record of 26-6 in 1959.

After Van, Black became head coach at Lon Morris College in Jacksonville, where he won 131 games in five years against 37 losses. He led the Bearcats to a runner-up spot in the 1962 NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas. That same season he was National Coach of the Year and also earned Jacksonville Young Man of the Year during his tenure at Lon Morris. In 1963 LMC was unbeaten in the Texas Eastern Conference, a rare feat by any team in the rugged league. The 1964 team, which featured future Longhorn and Lon Morris coach Dale Dotson, placed seventh in the nation.

Coach Black said he was most proud of that every one of his players continued to a four-year college and earned their degree.

During those years back in East Texas, Black met his bride Peggy. They were married for 64 years had four children — Chuck, Natalie, Audrey and Jason.

Black returned to the Forty Acres as an assistant coach for three years (1964-65 through 1966-67) under Harold Bradley. The Longhorns were SWC co-champions in the 1964-65 season, tying SMU for the title. Texas was second in 1967.

He became head coach of Horns beginning with the 1967-68 season. The Longhorns finished second that year.

Black was considered a pioneer who blazed trails by recruiting the first seven African-American student-athletes in Texas men’s basketball program history.

For the 1969-70 season, Black asked freshman track athlete Sam Bradley to join the basketball team and Bradley became the first African-American to play for the Texas basketball team.

The next season Black recruited Tyler Junior College standout point guard Jimmy Blacklock, who picked UT over Michigan State because of Black. Blacklock, who later played and coached the Harlem Globetrotters, became the first African-American basketball letterman at Texas.

Blacklock led the Longhorns in scoring in 1970-71.

In 1971-72, Black recruited Larry Robinson fresh out of high school and Robinson became the first African-American to sign a letter of intent to Texas. Robinson at one time held every scoring and rebounding record at UT and he was a two-time SWC Player of the Year. He scored in double-figures in 59 of 64 games. Black also recruited future NBA players Johnny Moore and Ovie Dotson.

With Blacklock at point guard the Longhorns tied for the SWC title with SMU and won the tie-breaker to advance to the NCAA Tournament where they upset Arp’s Guy V. Lewis’ Houston Cougars in the Midwest Regional and advanced to the Sweet 16 before falling to Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette). Texas was 19-9.

After Robinson suffered a knee injury the following season, Texas bounced back to win the SWC title in 1972-73. After starting the year 1-11, the Longhorns was 11-3 in the Southwest Conference. They fell to Creighton in the first round of the NCAA.

Black would coach two more seasons before resigning and Abe Lemons taking over. In 1974, he was the Southwest Conference Coach of the Year.

He had other offers to coach from other Southwest Conference schools and the Mexican Olympic team, but he stayed home as a Longhorn for Life. He was an assistant athletic director until he retired in 2008. Black was a strong supporter of the program and cherished his friendships with Coach Rick Barnes and Coach Shaka Smart. From 1964 to 2018, he missed only three home games.

Black was instrumental in getting the Longhorn basketball program on track. After playing in the small Gregory Gymnasium, Black knew for Texas to be a force in recruiting and basketball they needed a big arena.

Eventually, the 16,000-seat Erwin Center opened thanks in part to the push from Black.

His vision and love for the University of Texas has helped the program to this day. He was inducted into the UT Hall of Honor in 1989 and the Greater Austin Sports Foundation Hall of Honor in 2020.

Black’s journey is deeply rooted in his Christian faith and “always doing the right thing.” He focused on three pillars: Faith, Family and Friendship.

His son Jason said Coach Black will be buried in Holly Springs Cemetery in Martin’s Mill on Oct. 20 and “return back to his East Texas roots.”

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