LEO LABORDE - INDUCTEE #161
hall of fame fast fact:
Leo LaBorde is not only a member of the PSHOF, he was also inducted into the Texas Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame in 1983 and the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame in 1997.
Leo LaBorde
Before coming to Amarillo in 1969, Leo LaBorde established himself as a top-flight player and coach. He was ranked in Texas’ top 10 tennis players from 1941 to 1955.
He attended and lettered at Lamar University, served in the Navy during World War II, then transferred to the University of Texas. He earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Houston in 1951. His coaching career began in Baytown, where he installed the Baytown Public Schools Tennis Program.
In 1955, LaBorde was selected as the first tennis pro at the Dallas Athletic Club Country Club. For 10 seasons(1956-1966) he coached Southern Methodist University’s tennis team. In 1957, he directed the first Dallas Cotton Bowl Indoor Tournament. LaBorde lived in Amarillo nearly 40 years. He taught and coached at Amarillo College (1969-1978) and was the seasonal teaching pro at the Amarillo Country Club in the ‘70s.
LaBorde played tennis into his late 80s and died at age 94 in 2012.
