“Every day in the classroom or on the
diamond the best feeling in the
world is getting that smile or
knowing nod that you have
got your point across with
something that really
hits home.”
COACHING BY THE NUMBERS Leicht is 513-330
in 34 seasons of basketball and his 2010 and
2014 softball teams each finished as the No. 1
overall team in the state.
JOE LEICHT
coach and teacher,
Wayne Valley
High School
He also took the Indians to the PCT
final in 2007 where they were defeated
by DePaul.
Leicht has a strong support system
from his family, spearheaded by his
wife Sue as the two are celebrating
their 39th wedding anniversary
together this year. Sue and Joe have
two daughters, Stacey (37) and Amy
(34), has two grandsons (Joseph
Augustine, 9, and Christopher James,
5) by Stacey [who is expecting her
third child in August] and husband
David. Daughter Amy and husband
Ron Rossi just had their first child
in late May, Peter Charles Rossi.
His assistant coaches, most of them
longtime associates, include Brian
Peterson and Doug Scott in basketball
and Phil Lomenzo, Bob Alexander,
Neil Malmud, Maria LaBarbiera and
Neal Hirsch in softball.
“Every day in the classroom or on
the diamond the best feeling in the
world is getting that smile or knowing nod that you have got your point
across with something that really hits
home,” says Leicht. “That’s what
makes teaching and coaching such
special professions.”
Twenty or 30 years down the road
it will be ‘The Great Joe Leicht’ that
is the recollection of a longtime coach
that may be attempting to follow in
his extraordinarily special footsteps. ■
BACK TO SCHOOL 2016
WAYNE MAGAZINE
39