Don Leas

After High School, he dove for Michigan State University under Hall of Fame Swimming and Diving Coach Gus Stager, where he was a Big 10 championship gymnast and diver, graduating in 1957 with a B.S. in Health and Physical Education. Continuing to dive and compete in gymnastics while in graduate school, he was a 1959 Ohio AAU Gymnastics Champion.^[8][9]

He received his Masters from Southern Illinois University where he graduated in 1959 with a Master of Science Degree in Health and Physical Education, coaching the Southern Illinois University diving team during his studies. From 1961 to 1965, he studied for his Doctorate at the University of Illinois, and worked with the University of Illinois Department of Physical Education, where he served as an Assistant Gymnastics and Diving coach. He also coached swimming and diving at Sunset Hills Country Club in Edwardsville, Illinois during this period.^[10] In 1966, he coached swimming and cross country for a year at St. Cloud State University, in St. Cloud, Minnesota.^{[1][11][12][13][14][15][16]}

He was a diving coach for Clarion University of Pennsylvania from 1966 to 1990. Hired at Clarion by Dr. James Gemmell in May 1966, he served as Chair of the Department of Health and Physical Education. He also served a term as Pennsylvania State Chairman of College Health Education.

The Clarion swim and diving team received some funding for scholarships, but raised a significant percentage of its funds by hosting a swimming and diving camp each summer which enrolled as many as 100 divers. ^[17] During his twenty-four year coaching tenure, the Clarion men's team won 19 straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles from 1971 through 1989.

As Clarion women's diving coach in the eleven years between 1977 and 1986, the women's team won 15 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference titles and eight Division II National Championships. Showing exceptional dominance in their sport, in 1984 Clarion's women's swimming and diving team became the first team in collegiate history to win all 20 events at the NCAA National Championship.^[18][1] Leas was named to the NCAA's "Team of the Decade" coaching staff in 1991 as part of the NCAA's celebration of its 10th year offering women's championships. In his career, his divers won 36 individual national championships and posted 234 All-America placings.^[1][17]

While at Clarion, Leas married Rebecca Rutt, a former swimmer for West Chester College, and the Clarion women's swim coach, from 1979-1987 and a longer serving professor of health education at Clarion.^[19]