Crookston, Minn. - The football practice field at the University of Minnesota, Crookston will be named in honor of Alumnus James "Jim" LeClair on Friday, August 28, 2009. The dedication will begin at noon on the field and the public is invited to attend. The Jim LeClair Practice Field is located just east of Evergreen Hall, the new residence hall on the Crookston campus.
LeClair, ex. '70, enrolled at the U of M, Crookston in the fall of 1968, and as a student-athlete, he excelled in football. He was captain of the 1969 football team that finished second in the conference and was named for a second consecutive year to the Minnesota State Junior College All-Conference Team. In 1970 he transferred to the University of North Dakota (UND), where he played two more seasons of collegiate football.
In 1972, LeClair was drafted by the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals where he played twelve seasons. He finished his fourteen-year career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League. Following his professional football career LeClair has been a successful coach, businessman, entrepreneur, and civic leader. In 1999, Le Clair was inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame, South Bend, Indiana. He was inducted into the UND Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985 and into the U of M, Crookston Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers more than 25 applied-science undergraduate degree programs and 50 concentrations, including several online degrees, in agriculture; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; math, science and technology; and natural resources. To learn more, visit www.UMCrookston.edu.
LeClair, ex. '70, enrolled at the U of M, Crookston in the fall of 1968, and as a student-athlete, he excelled in football. He was captain of the 1969 football team that finished second in the conference and was named for a second consecutive year to the Minnesota State Junior College All-Conference Team. In 1970 he transferred to the University of North Dakota (UND), where he played two more seasons of collegiate football.
In 1972, LeClair was drafted by the National Football League's Cincinnati Bengals where he played twelve seasons. He finished his fourteen-year career with the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League. Following his professional football career LeClair has been a successful coach, businessman, entrepreneur, and civic leader. In 1999, Le Clair was inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame, South Bend, Indiana. He was inducted into the UND Athletic Hall of Fame in 1985 and into the U of M, Crookston Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.
Today the University of Minnesota, Crookston delivers more than 25 applied-science undergraduate degree programs and 50 concentrations, including several online degrees, in agriculture; arts, humanities and social sciences; business; math, science and technology; and natural resources. To learn more, visit www.UMCrookston.edu.
Contact: Corby Kemmer, director of development, 218-281-8432 (ckemmer@umn.edu); Elizabeth Tollefson, assistant director of communications, 218-281-8432 (ltollefs@umn.edu)
