Hall of Fame
Skiing, Ski Coach (1950, 1953-64)
Chelton Leonard spent 58 years as a ski competitor, coach, instructor, official, administrator and executive. Leonard began skiing in his hometown in Reno in 1933 and developed into a leading ski racer in the Sierra Nevada Mountains where he was captain of the Reno High School ski team. During World War II, he was one of several local skiers who volunteered for service as “ski troopers” with the Army’s 10th Mountain Division and served as a ski instructor at Camp Hale in Colorado in 1943-44. After the war, he enrolled at the University of Oregon but then returned to Reno to finish his college career at the University of Nevada. He competed for the Wolf Pack ski team in downhill, slalom and cross country and served as team captain in 1951. He was also registered as a Class “A” Alpine Racer from 1947-1952. During that time, Leonard skied in several movies, including trick skiing and “doubling” for Lou Costello in the feature movie “Hit the Ice.”
Leonard became Nevada’s head coach in 1953 and would hold the position for eight years. His teams won eight Pacific Coast championships and always finished near the top in national rankings. He was named Coach of the Year in 1958 by the Western Winter Sports Writers. He was named to the NCAA Ski Rules Committee and served as secretary from 1956-60 and also helped stage the first NCAA Championships in 1954 During this time, he also formed and chaired the All-American Ski Team Committee for the National Ski Association and worked on establishing the National Ski Coaches certification program. In 1958, Leonard was appointed Assistant Sports Technical Director for the 1960 Winter Olympic Games at Squaw Valley and helped organize the skiing events at the games. After the Olympics, Leonard became the executive director of the National Ski Association, now the United States Ski Association, until 1962 when he returned to Nevada for two more seasons as the Wolf Pack ski coach. Following his retirement from coaching in 1964, he became the convention director at John Ascuaga’s Nugget and then worked as the Selective Service deputy state director in Carson City. He also continued to pursue his passion as a ski instructor, sold real estate and worked as a high school football referee. He also volunteered with the Boy Scouts and stayed active in the International Federation of Mountain Soldiers. Leonard passed away in Carson City in 2011.
