Leon Barmore

Enshrined 2003
Born: June 3, 1944
Ruston, LA

Leon Barmore's relentless pursuit of excellence is legendary. He was the fastest coach in women's basketball history to reach 500 wins, and when he retired from coaching at Louisiana Tech following the 2001-2002 season, his .869 winning percentage was the best in women's college basketball history. Barmore spent his entire career at Louisiana Tech as a player, assistant coach and head coach. Barmore orchestrated one of the most dominant teams in women's basketball history, spending 179 straight weeks ranked in the AP Top 25. As an assistant, Barmore was instrumental in Tech's 54-game winning streak. In 1988 he led Tech to a 32-2 record and the NCAA Championship. He led Tech to thirteen 30-win seasons and nineteen 20-plus win seasons. His teams were 303-17 (94.7%) at the Thomas Assembly Center on campus. Barmore coached 12 Kodak All-Americas, four Olympians and 37 First-Team All-Conference selections.