Southern Fried Sooner

By Wann Smith for Sooners Illustrated

In the nineteen-forties Memphis, Tennessee was widely known as the nation's quietest, cleanest, and safest city. Nestled quietly in southwestern Tennessee on the east bank of the Mississippi River, it was a great place to live, play, and raise a family. Serene and peaceful Memphis had also been the home of celebrities from all walks of life and culture; Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, Tennessee Williams, Justin Timberlake, and 1933ís Public Enemy Number One, George "Machine Gun" Kelly, had all been born and raised in Memphis, as had Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. And in 1948, the Presley family had moved from Tupelo, Mississippi where Vernon had hoped for prosperity only to see his son, Elvis, find it.

But as idyllic as Memphis was in that era, it was still an unlikely place for Oklahoma Sooners' head coach Bud Wilkinson to seek a high school football player. However, events conspired to bring Wilkinson's attention to a regionally heralded running back from Christian Brothers High School: John Elgin "Buddy" Leake, Jr.

Buddy acquired his fondness for sports from his father, John Elgin Leake. "My father had played football at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia," said Buddy Leake in a recent interview with Sooners Illustrated. "After he graduated, he enrolled in medical school at the University of Tennessee in Memphis where he played football with Phil White, who had been an All-American at OU. This was before the NCAA so there weren't any hard and fast rules to follow ñ the guys just formed a team. They played Ol' Miss and Vanderbilt, operating out of their back pocket. "I was god-blessed in my athletic abilities," continued Leake. ìI first realized my talent in my old neighborhood when I lived on Nelson Avenue in Memphis. There was a group of guys who played football on the next block over, on Evelyn Street. One day I rode my bicycle over to watch them. I was in fifth grade and these boys were in junior high school. I stood around watching them play and they just ignored me. Well, one day they needed an extra player so they looked over, saw me leaning on my bicycle, and they invited me to join them. That's when I found out I was able to perform at a higher level.

ìI started playing football in 7th grade at Fairview Junior High School in Memphis," stated Buddy. "There were only two seventh graders who went out for football and stuck with it. Most of the players were bigger than we were. The other seventh grader turned out to be the captain of the Vanderbilt football team when he went to college. But I played all three years and made All-Memphis in the ninth grade. After Fairview, I attended Christian Brothers High School.

"Christian Brothers had won the state baseball championship the year before I was there; in fact, future major league pitcher Ray Crone had attended CBC (it was called "CBC" for Christian Brothers College). I had the choice of going to Christian Brothers or Central, the predominant power in high school football at that time. Central had produced Rip Rowan who played with Blanchard and Davis at Army under coach Red Blaik. Rowan had been my hero growing up. So when it came time to go to high school, I had planned to go to Central. But the deciding factor was that My dad had wanted me to attend Christian Brothers because they had an all-male faculty. He had had a roommate at Washington and Lee who had gone to a high school with all male teachers and my dad had been very impressed by the fellow. So even though we weren't Catholic, he encouraged me to attend CBC."

By the conclusion of his senior season, Buddy had earned All-City and All-State football honors and was being heavily pursued by regional powers Alabama, Tennessee, and Mississippi. But given the circumstances of the era, Buddy Leake should never have become a Sooner. News of the accomplishments of high school football stars, no matter how spectacular, seldom traveled beyond regional borders. But events transpired in Oklahoma's favor.

Leake's father's former teammate at Tennessee Medical School, OU All-American halfback Phil White, lived in Oklahoma City and practiced medicine. But White's Memphis roots ran deep. He was familiar with the exploits of Memphis' Buddy Leake and notified Bud Wilkinson's assistant, Bill Jennings. Jennings traveled to Memphis for the All-American High School football game. He sat in the rain watching the game for the first half before leaving to catch a train back to Norman; upon his return he would urge Bud Wilkinson to offer Leake a scholarship.

"Bill (Jennings) came down and checked me out and OU offered me a scholarship, so I went to Norman on the train to visit. This was in 1951 and the Sooners had just won the national championship in 1950. I stayed with the Whites during that visit. I didn't get to meet coach Wilkinson because he was out of town so I visited campus and Jeff House. I met one young man who shook my hand and greeted me. As he walked away another player told me that I had just met Bert Clark, the captain of the team. I was impressed with how unassuming and friendly he'd been to me, treating me like just another player ñ an equal. Conversely, when I went down to visit Old Miss' and Tennessee, one of the players told me that they were going to shave my head and whip my butt and I told him "no you not either because I'm not going to go here," laughed Buddy.

But there was another twist to the Leake recruiting story.

"Red Drew, who coached at Alabama, coached my team - the east squad - in the All-American game. The head coach at Nebraska, Bill Glassford, was coaching the west team. After the game, coach Glassford said to me "Buddy, you've got about a week or ten days before you have to report to Oklahoma. Why don't you come up to Nebraska and see our school?" So I did that. Carrol Hardy, from Sturgis, South Dakota, and I went to Lincoln, had some steak dinners and were fixed up with some blind dates ñ daughters of some of the coaches as I recall. We were also allowed to use a coach's car. Then, coach Glassford got us up in his office with one of his assistant coaches and closed the door. He looked at Carrol and me and said, "so, you're coming to the University of Nebraska now, aren't you? You'll be teammates here." Well, we looked at each other and said "yeah, I guess we are." So the coach picked up the phone and wanted us to call Bill Jennings at Oklahoma to tell him the news right then and there. Anyway, he put the call through and fortunately, coach Jennings wasn't in the office so I didn't have to talk to him," said Buddy.

After that visit Leake had told a Memphis newspaper that he would sign with Nebraska, but when he called coach Jennings in Norman the day before his scheduled trip to Lincoln, Leake said that Jennings was supportive of any decision he would make. He told Leake that he should make the decision that made him happy. So Buddy Leake became a Sooner.

"I weighed 170 pounds and had not particularly wanted to play college football," said Leake. "I loved baseball and wanted to play shortstop. Oklahoma had just won the national championship in football in 1950 and in baseball in 1951, so I was very interested. But I wasnít serious about football even when I was taking my recruiting trips; I went to Oklahoma without really being committed to football. One day during two-a-day practices, I was sitting by the gate putting on my freshman jersey before the afternoon practice. It was horribly hot and I was beaten up and asking myself ëwhat in the world am I doing here in Oklahoma?í I was really down. Then Bud Wilkinson walked by. I had never even been introduced to him because he had been out of town during my recruiting visit. First he walked past me then he paused, turned, came back and said, ëBuddy, I think you are supposed to be wearing a white jersey,í which meant I had been promoted to the varsity. It was one of the greatest thrills of my life and it certainly improved my mood."

ìBuddy was already a great athlete when he left high school in Memphis and he was a perfect fit in our backfield his freshman year. He was one of the best athletes weíd ever seen come along. He was a great baseball player as well.î ñ Jack Ging

Before Buddy Leake decided to attend the University of Oklahoma, freshmen had not been eligible to play ñ a decision Bud Wilkinson agreed with completely. Wilkinson held that ìÖa young man should have to prove his academic integrity prior to becoming eligible.î However, in 1951, the rules were changed and freshmen were allowed to participate on the field of play because of the manpower shortage caused by the Korean War. Leake had been relegated to third team offense and second team defense; Bud hadnít planned to cast the talented freshman in a lead role that season.

And then Billy Vessels went down with a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter of the Oklahoma / Texas game.

ìMy freshman year I got to play a little the first two games, but not very much,î continued Buddy. ìWe beat William and Mary 49-7, had a tough loss to A&M in College Station, and then we went down to Dallas. I was listed on the third string offense and didnít expect to play since Billy Vessels was healthy and doing a great job. Then Billy got hurt and had to be carried off the field on a stretcher.

ìI was sitting on the bench wearing my sun visor and watching the game when coach Wilkinson called for me. He put his arm around my shoulder and said ëthe next time we get the ball Iím going to put you in there. I just want you to relax and keep your eye on the ball and everything will work out just fine.í

ìI had a lot of self confidence so I wasnít very nervous,î said Buddy.

ìBuddy Leake was a wonderful gift for the University of Oklahoma. Perhaps the first evidence of his unique talent became evident during the 1951 Texas game. Billy Vessels had been injured and it became necessary for someone to take his place; Buddy was that guy. His immediate contribution against Texas was just a sampling of what he would contribute to the program over the next four years. He enjoyed a great career as a Sooner.î ñ Eddie Crowder

ìOn my first punt return that day,î said Buddy, ìthe ball spiraled upwards and then began to come downÖI could see the crowd on either side of the field in my peripheral vision and the ball framed by the crowd in the end zone and I kept saying to myself ëkeep your eye on the ballÖí But I had done this sort of thing many times and I had prepared myself well. Later on in that game, we ran a screen pass off of a halfback. I took the pitchout and threw the screen pass to the left halfback who had stopped and turned where the end usually lines up. The guy I was throwing to was a senior and I was a freshman and I hadnít known him but about thirty days. I hit him right in the numbers with the ball but he dropped it. Had he caught it he would have scored easily. I saw him twenty-five years later and he said to me ëBuddy, not a day goes by when I donít think about that pass.í He was a great guy. Those things just happen sometimes. But Texas beat us 9-7 that day.î

ìDad might not have liked freshmen eligibility, but in the 1951 Texas game, he had reason to be grateful for it. After halfback Billy Vessels tore the ligaments in his knee, freshman Buddy Leake stepped in to replace him and went eleven yards the first time he touched the ball. That play led to OUís only touchdown and was the start of a great career for Leake.î ñ Jay Wilkinson

In his first actual start the week following the Texas loss, Leake rushed for 121 yards on 15 carries and scored three touchdowns against Kansas. In his third game he completed all four of his passes for 168 yards against Colorado. He rushed for 129 yards on 20 carries against Missouri and had his best game by scoring four touchdowns and rushing for 167 yards on 25 carries against OSU in Norman.

ìAs a freshman I had a great year,î said Buddy. ìI believe I scored thirteen touchdowns in seven games. We went up to play Nebraska and we beat them 27-0. After that game I spotted Husker coach Glassford and walked across the field to say hello to him. I said ëCoach Glassford, I just wanted to say hello. We had a good day, today.í And he replied, ëyeah, Buddy, I got your message.í I had no idea what he was talking about so I said ëwhat do you mean?í And he said, ëyou called my office and told us that youíd like to use one of our cars and have us arrange a date for you.í Evidently, one of the Nebraska coaches had remembered the blind date Iíd had during my recruiting visit and posted it on the team bulletin board before the game to use as a motivational tool and not a word of it was true.î

Buddy Leake finished the 1951 Sooner campaign by posting the most impressive first-year stats in the History of Oklahoma football at that time. Leake rushed for 646 yards and scored 13 touchdowns in seven outings.

ìBuddy made them forget me,î quipped Billy Vessels.

But in 1952, Vessels was back and so was Buddy Leake. And with Jim Weatherall gone, Leake also took over place-kicking responsibilities.

ìAlthough Bud considered place-kicking fundamentally critical, he didnít believe in field goals,î said Leake. ìBud did not want the team to have the field goal option to fall back on. When we got inside the other teamsí twenty-yard line and it was third down, he wanted there to be no doubt that we needed to make that first down. He considered a field goal a psychologically easy way out. He wanted you to be mentally prepared to make the first down and not to rely on kicking field goals. In the three years I performed the place-kicking duties, Bud only allowed us to try one field goalÖand I missed it,î laughed Buddy.

ìMy coach in high school, Bill Hofer, had been a halfback and the place kicker for Notre Dame. Heíd been a Marine and had won two Silver Stars and a Purple Heart in the Second World War. He had a very strong influence on my kicking.î

Oklahoma opened 1952 in Boulder, Colorado, with a 21-21 tie, extending their conference unbeaten streak to 30 games. The Sooners were sparked by Leakeís 30-yard run to the Buff 18-yard line in the first quarter as they drew first blood, 7-0. Leake scored the second touchdown from the three yard line, giving OU a 14-7 halftime lead. But Colorado came roaring back and scored the only third quarter touchdown followed with another in the fourth period to take a 21-14 lead. Billy Vessels would add Oklahomaís final touchdown late in the fourth period making the score Colorado 21, OU 20. As the Sooners prepared to convert the tying point after kick, Buffalo head coach Dal Ward, in an attempt to make Oklahomaís place kicker nervous, called a time out.

ìEddie Crowder, our holder, and I were standing by ourselves back by the kicking tee trying to relax each other,î recalled Buddy. ìBut all I could think about was that if I missed the conversion, Oklahomaís record of never having lost a conference game under Bud Wilkinson would go up in smoke. ëYou just hold it, and Iíll kick it,í I told Eddie, just trying to be calm.î

Leake converted, and the Sooners left Boulder with the tie.

In the annual Texas shootout, Leake would shine once again, this time in a winning cause. He caught a 65-yard touchdown pass from Crowder, scored again on a 1-yard run and kicked seven extra points. Leakeís 19 points set a new series record.

Against Kansas the following week, Leake scored on a 10-yard sweep and kicked two extra points before leaving the game with an ankle injury. Although the ankle was expected to have healed for the November 8th showdown with Notre Dame in South Bend, he reinjured it in practice two days prior to the game.

ìWe had a scrimmage in í52 prior to the Notre Dame game. I was coming off of an ankle injury Iíd suffered in the Kansas game. Bud wanted to play with a live ball in the scrimmage and sure enough, the last time I carried the ball in that scrimmage somebody fell on my ankle and reinjured it in the pileup. The pain just shot through it like you wouldnít believe. So I had to wear a cast on it to allow it to heal.î

Dick Cullum, Big Ten conference football writer had written of OUís backfield after Leakeís injury ëWhen Buddy Leake was well, the Oklahoma backfield of Eddie Crowder, Billy Vessels, Leake, and Buck McPhail was the best balanced, most versatile backfield I have ever seen. Every one of them was at the All-American level.í

Oklahoma finished the 1952 season with an 8-1-1 record and were ranked 4th in the final Associated Press poll. At the end of the í52 season, Billy Vessels, Buck McPhail, Buddy Leake, and Merrill Green finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th in Big 7 Conference scoring. Additionally, Buddy Leake had the highest percentage of successful extra points in the nation, hitting 32 of 33 (97%).

The advent of the 1953 season saw a Sooner team expected to be diminished by the loss of Eddie Crowder, Buck McPhail, Outland Trophy winner Jim Weatherall, and 1952 Heisman Trophy winner Billy Vessels. Merrill Green, Jack Ging, and Larry Grigg returned at halfback. Although Buddy Leake started the season at quarterback with high expectations, a recurring shoulder injury heíd suffered in preseason practice prevented him from playing up to his potential and he returned to bolster the halfback position after the Pittsburgh game.

ìWhen I played quarterback, coach Wilkinson wouldnít call that many plays ñ he relied on his quarterbacks to make their own decisions at the line of scrimmage based on the training theyíd received from him,î said Leake. ìOur offense was four-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust. The quarterback in Budís offense was, first and foremost, a running back. His first step after the ball was snapped was always towards the line of scrimmage. Then heíd head down the line of scrimmage and either hand it off to the halfback, or fake it and then run the option around the end.î

The Sooners opened the season with a well-played but disappointing 28-21 loss to the team that had become Bud Wilkinsonís nemesis; Notre Dame. The next game saw Oklahoma post a 7-7 tie with the Pittsburgh Panthers in Pittsburgh. The Soonersí lone score came on a 75-yard pass from Buddy Leake to Larry Grigg.

And then the 47-game winning streak began.

After their uncharacteristic 0-1-1 start, the 1953 Sooners marched through the remainder of their schedule like Sherman to the sea as they blew past their final eight regular season opponents by the combined score of 265 to 55. Oklahoma then accepted a bid to play Maryland ñ coached by former Sooner coach Jim Tatum ñ in the Orange Bowl. The Terrapins came to Miami as national champions (the title was conferred prior to bowl games in those days) with a 10-0-0 record. And to make matters worse, Maryland had the number one ranked defense in the country; the Terps had outscored all opponents by an average score of 30 to 3 and had shut out Clemson, Washington and Lee, North Carolina, Miami, Mississippi, and Alabama.

ìIn that Orange Bowl game, Maryland had the ball inside our ten yard line three times in the first half and our defense held them to no points,î said Buddy.

Oklahoma would stun the nation by defeating heavily favored Maryland 7-0 ñ the first shutout Maryland had suffered in 51 games. The Sooners finished 1953 with a 9-1-1 record and their second consecutive 4th place ranking in the Associated Press poll. Buddy Leake would convert an incredible 50 of 52 extra point attempts that season. ìBuddy Leake is a great guy. Heís done so much for the University of Oklahoma. I was his blocking fullback in í54. Heís a great person; Iíve been friends with him and his wife for years.î ñ Jerry Tubbs

In 1954 Oklahoma once again had holes to fill as graduation claimed such blue-bloods as Outland Trophy winner J.D. Roberts, Doc Hearon, Melvin Brown, Dick Bowman, and team captain Roger Nelson. But far from decimated, the Sooners once again produced a collection of supremely talented young players ready, willing, and able to step in and take up the slack.

Gene Calame, coming off of a nine-game winning streak, returned as quarterback. Also returning were Kurt Burris, Bo Bolinger, Max Boydston, Buddy Leake, and Bob Burris. Waiting in the wings waiting to make their impact were Jimmy Harris, Tommy McDonald, and Billy Pricer.

Oklahoma opened the season ranked 2nd in the nation. The first opponent would be the California Golden Bears in Berkeley. The Sooners took the day in a hard-fought 27-13 victory. In that game Buddy Leake tossed an 87-yard touchdown pass to Max Boydston ñ a play that still stands as the fourth longest touchdown pass in Sooner history.

After overcoming a talented and tough TCU team the second weekend of the season, it was time to go to Dallas. In the Texas game, with Oklahoma trailing 7-0, Leake would field an errant pitchout and take the ball in for the touchdown to tie the game. The Sooners would beat the ëHorns 14-7, their third straight victory in the heated rivalry.

Buddy was to play critical roles in other games that season. Following the 34-13 victory over Missouri on November 13th, Bud Wilkinson wrote of Leake in his weekly alumni newsletter, ëBuddy Leake played his best game. He drove for yards better than ever, getting us several key first downs with his strong running and his great effort.í And in the first quarter of the Nebraska game the following weekend, Leake intercepted a Husker pass that led to the Soonersí first touchdown, scored on a 19-yard run in the second quarter, and recovered a Nebraska fumble in the fourth quarter that led to another score.

After the two close games with Texas Christian and Texas early in 1954, no other team presented Bud Wilkinsonís Sooners with a serious challenge. Oklahoma bested all opponents that season by the combined score of 304 to 62 and finished their season ranked 3rd in the Associated Press poll. Buddy Leake finished his career at the University of Oklahoma after the 1954 season. He was named All-Conference and currently ranks 14th in the OU record book for career scoring with 243 points.

ìBuddy has always been a tenacious guy, both in life and on the field. And heís been a good friend of mine all these years.î ñ Jimmy Harris

Often lost in the commotion over Buddy Leakeís talent on the gridiron is his ability to excel at the game of baseball. ìI lettered four years in football and three years in baseball,î said Buddy. Leake led the Big Seven in home runs in 1952 and once hit home runs in three consecutive at bats. ìThe funny thing was that I always liked baseball, but I always seemed to do better at football.î

After graduation, Buddy Leake was drafted by the Green Bay Packers, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League, and was taken by the St. Louis Cardinals in the baseball draft.

ìI played briefly in the Cardinalsí farm system at Rochester,î continued Leake. ìI was also drafted by Green Bay in the 3rd round of the NFL draft. I didnít seriously consider Green Bay because they werenít the team back then that they would become later and I hadnít ruled out the possibility of playing baseball rather than football.

ìThe Rochester Red Wings was the St Louis Cardinalsí Triple-A farm club. They wanted me to join them on the road when school was out. So I took my wife, Carolyn, and the children to her motherís house in Memphis and I flew to Syracuse to join the team. Dixie Walker was the manager and Harry ëthe Hatí Walker was his brother; one of them had played for the Cardinals and the other one for the Dodgers. When I joined them I didnít think I was going to play immediately, but I went out to the ballpark at 4:00 in the afternoon for batting practice my first day and Walker comes up to me and told me I was starting that evening. They wanted to see what I could do. I did alright at shortstop and had a hit ñ the ball took a bad hop on an infielder as I recall,î laughed Buddy. ìAlthough I went to Spring training the next year, I never did play anymore professional baseball.

ìSo I played in Rochester for about two weeks and then I had to report to Winnipeg, where I had eventually signed. I had asked for and received a ëno cutí contract. The reason I knew to ask for the ëno cutí clause was because of Roger Nelson (ex-Sooner football captain). I ran into him at Jeff House in Norman one day ñ Roger had played in Canada as well ñ and I asked him to tell me about the Canadian League. He said ëBuddy, itís a good place to play. The people are great. But you have to get a ëno cutí contract because theyíll bring in forty or fifty Americans (they called them ëimportsí) and they are only allowed to keep twelve.í

ìAllie Sherman, who later coached the New York Giants, was the coach at Winnipeg. He called me and wanted to talk with me about playing for him. I said ëCoach, first thing I have to tell you is that Iíll need a ëno cutí contract.í And he said ëThatís no problem.í I found out years later that I was the only guy that had a ëno cutí simply because I was the only one who knew to ask for one. We didnít have agents in those days like they do today.

ìI played in Winnipeg for three years and although it didnít pay nearly as much as athletes make today, I made very good money for the time,î said Buddy. ìAnd I hadnít had that great a contract with the Cardinals ñ in fact, Iíd hate to tell you what they paid me back then.î

While playing for Winnipeg, Buddy had become involved in the insurance business during a visit to Memphis in 1956.

ìMy mother ran an employment agency in downtown Memphis. And Massachusetts Mutual had an agency on the third floor of the same building. So sheíd ride the elevator with Billy Hughes who was the General Agent of Massachusetts Mutual at that time. His job was to recruit and train new agents. Well, he kept mentioning to mom that when I came home heíd like to talk with me. So I told her Iíd go shake his hand and say hello and goodbye in the same breath. I mean, selling insurance was about the last thing I wanted to do with my life. Anyway, I went in to talk with him at 1:00 in the afternoon and I stayed until after 5:00 talking about insurance, selling and buying. Being a young father I had already bought insurance myself on three different occasions from New York Life, College Life, and Canada Life, to protect my family in case something happened to me. Within three weeks of purchasing the insurance, I went duck hunting with Stavros Canacas (a big lineman from the University of Minnesota) and we turned our canoe over in neck-deep freezing water while trying to pick up a wounded duck. Our heavy gear became water-logged and by the time we got out of the water we were in our long underwear. But the first thing I thought about when I hit that cold water was how glad I was that Iíd bought that insurance,î laughed Buddy.

Leake began working in the insurance business in 1956, while he was still playing football in Canada. By 1958 when he retired from football, he had already qualified for the ëMillion Dollar Round Table,í an honor he has achieved over thirty times since then.

ìI was head of the Liberty Bowl committee for a couple of years,î said Buddy. ìThe Liberty Bowl had originally been played in Philadelphia and the guy responsible for moving it to Memphis was Bud Dudley who had played football at Notre Dame. I was on the Memphis Park Board at that time and we were responsible for the stadium. We arranged for Eddie Crowder to bring his Colorado team to play Bear Bryantís Alabama team in 1969. We brought a lot of those teams together back then.î

Among Buddy Leakeís Professional accomplishments are: Life and qualifying member for 41 years of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) Chairman, MDRT Family Time Committee (1978-1979) National Quality Award Winner Life Insurance Sales, 35 years Divisional Vice President, MDRT (1983) President, The Phoenix Club (1965)

Among Buddyís Sports and Athletic achievements are: Collierís Magazine All-American Team ñ Place Kicking Specialist (1952) Dave Dryburgh Memorial Trophy ñ Most Points Scored in One Season (103) Canadian Football League (1957) Inducted into the Christian Brothers High School Hall of Fame, Memphis, Tennessee (1974) Chairman of the Board, Memphis Pros Professional Basketball Team (1970-1973) President, Liberty Bowl Festival Association (1976) Member, Liberty Bowl Classic Team Selection Committee (1968 ñ 1980) Sooners Illustrated Best-of-the-Best Award, Selected as the Best Player to ever wear number ë22í in University of Oklahoma History (1996) President, The Touchdown Club of Memphis (1978 ñ 1979) Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Oklahoma Chapter, National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame, Inc. (1984 ñ 2002) Inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Nashville, Tennessee (1997)

Buddy Leake has also remained involved with the University of Oklahoma through the years. He is a Life Member of the University of Oklahoma Alumni Association, the Varsity ëOí Club, the Football Lettermenís Association, Alpha Tau Omega Alumni Association, and the University of Oklahoma Association.

Buddy Leake well represents the honor and dignity that personifies the men who played for Bud Wilkinson; men who achieved success not only on the playing field in Norman but in life after Sooner football. Jakie Sandefer probably said it best when he made this recent comment about Buddy:

"Buddy was a great athlete at the University of Oklahoma. Heís a true gentleman and a great Sooner."
 
Buddy lives in Oklahoma City with his wife, Carolyn.
They have seven children (his eldest daughter, Teresa Zepernick, passed away); John Patrick, Michael Timothy, Cynthia Louise, Nancy Ann Woodson, Stephen Ward, Kristen Elizabeth Crane, and Susanne Marie Cato.

Buddy and Carolyn have twenty-four grandchildren
Victoria Leake, Blair Leake, Meredith Leake, Perri Leake, John Leake, Jr., Evan Leake, John F. Zepernick, William Zepernick II, Carolyn Zepernick, John Elgin ëBuddyí Leake III, Michael Leake, Jr., Christina Leake, David Leake, Matthew Leake, Bailey Woodson, Douglas "Jay" Woodson, Jr., Lawrence Woodson, Berney Crane, Jr., Carolyn Crane, Christopher Crane, Brooks Crane, Elgin Cato, Claire Cato, and Thomas Cato II.

Southern Fried Sooner
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