Jimmy Leech (April 13, 1897 – August 16, 1951) was an American

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player. He was elected to the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in 1956. Leech starred on the undefeated

1920 VMI Keydets football team The 1920 VMI Keydets football team represented the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in their 30th season of organized football, during the 1920 college football season. Led by first-year head coach Blandy Clarkson, the Keydets went 9–0 and out ...

, leading the nation in scoring. He is considered one of the greatest to ever play for the school.

VMI

He was a prominent

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

for the

VMI Keydets football The VMI Keydets football team represents the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia. The Keydets compete in the Southern Conference of the NCAA Division I FCS, and are coached by Danny Rocco, named head coach on December 3, 2022. VMI p ...

team of the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

1920

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...

, Leech was selected third-team All-American by

Walter Camp Walter Chauncey Camp (April 7, 1859 – March 14, 1925) was an American football player, coach, and sports writer known as the "Father of American Football". Among a long list of inventions, he created the sport's line of scrimmage and the system ...

. On the All-Southern team's neglecting of Leech, one writer asks "Is

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

? If so, any judge that fails to put Jimmy Leach (sic), of V. M. I., on an All-Southern eleven is worse than crazy. Leach was a better football player than

Flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

, of Georgia Tech, or

McMillan MacMillan, Macmillan, McMillen or McMillan may refer to: People * McMillan (surname) * Clan MacMillan, a Highland Scottish clan * Harold Macmillan, British statesman and politician * James MacMillan, Scottish composer * William Duncan MacMill ...

, of Centre. He was easily the greatest back in the South, unsurpassed anywhere. He could kick, pass, crash through a line, or circle an end. In the nine game he played he scored 210 points, including twenty-six touchdowns. He carried the ball for 1,723 yards and hurled forward passes for 48 yards. He made seven runs from fifty to eighty-five yards, several against

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. He is one of the greatest broken field runners the country has ever seen."

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* 1897 births 1951 deaths College Football Hall of Fame inductees VMI Keydets football players American football halfbacks {{collegefootball-player-stub

VMI

1920

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