This Saturday, the Eastern Washington Eagles take on Wagner in the second round of the Division I Football Championship. In Chicago, Harry Leons will be watching. Fifteen years ago, Leons quarterbacked the Eagles all the way to the national semifinals, Eastern Washington’s first significant run at a Division I national championship. Leons was named the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year, completing 61.9 percent of his passes for 2,588 yards with 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. The 1997 Eagles, coached by Mike Kramer, included the likes of running back Rex Prescott, who rushed for a league-high 1,494 yards, wide receiver Jeff Ogden, who spent several years in the NFL, offensive tackle Jim Buzzard, league defensive MVP Chris Scott, and linebacker Derek Stray. EWU won the outright regular-season title and finished 12-2 overall. The 1997 Eagles were inducted into the Eastern Washington Hall of Fame earlier this season, and Leons made the trip to Cheney. After three years playing arena football, Leons joined the business world. He now lives in the Windy City developing a small business. Leons took time to speak with Jon Kasper of the Big Sky Conference about his collegiate memories, the success the Eagles have enjoyed.
Q: Your team was inducted into the school’s athletic Hall of Fame earlier this season. What was that experience like?
A: It was humbling. It was awesome. It was a great opportunity to catch up with everyone, more than anything. There were so many great people on that team and interesting personalities. Everyone kind of moved on after college. Probably the best part is knowing that you left some kind of mark at Eastern. That was pretty humbling. Winning the Big Sky was a lot of fun. After we lost to Youngstown State (in the national semifinals), we never really got together after that. This was a good way for us to all get back together.
Q: Your path to becoming Eastern Washington’s starting quarterback wasn’t an easy one. You were a walk-on your first couple of seasons, and were buried on the depth chart. What were those years like?
A: I had so much fun as a freshman and sophomore playing wide receiver on the scout team. Seriously, that’s what kept me involved in football, and getting through some of the darker days in my football career. I had an opportunity on the scout team to get to run around and have fun as a wide receiver. I didn’t get any scout team reps at quarterback. The writing was on the wall, but I didn’t see the writing.
Q: So, how did you wind up as the starting QB?
A: Attrition. I was sixth or seven string, as low as a guy can be. Two guys graduated, and then I was fourth out of four guys vying for the job. I finally got the opportunity to start and in my first game I threw five interceptions against Idaho State. My excuse was that when I took my trip to EWU, Mark Tenneson set the school record with five interceptions and won the game. I learned from him. I thought that was what I was supposed to do. I got a chance a couple of weeks later against Northern Arizona and we put up a lot of yards in a high-scoring game that we lost. That was in 1996.
Q: Was there a point in the 1997 season where you thought you could make a run at a Big Sky Championship?
A: Before the season started, we thought we could be pretty good. We played Montana close at home the year before, and we had beaten Boise State the year before. The Montana game (a 40-35 win in Missoula) really gave us confidence going forward. It really helped propel us. We had a lot of depth. It was a loaded conference with lots of great quarterbacks. Personally, the Northern Arizona game was huge for us. We went down there and won on the road, on the turf, and in the Walkup Skydome. I remember at halftime, everyone took of their pads and no one talked because we were so tired. But there was no question, beating Montana and overcoming the crowd was huge. I grew up going to Washington Husky games, and I can tell you Washington-Grizzly Stadium was so much louder than Husky Stadium.
Q: During Eastern Washington’s playoff run, you didn’t play your home games at what was then known as Woodward Field, and is now Roos Field. Instead, you played three straight weeks at Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane. What was that experience like?
A: I loved Joe Albi Stadium. I really enjoyed the Joe Albi experience. I remember that after Montana got knocked out in the first round, hundreds of their fans came over to support us for our semifinal game against Youngstown. It was incredible. It was awesome. There was so much Big Sky pride. I’ve never forgotten the Montana fans coming over to support another Big Sky team.
Q: Mike Kramer, who is now the head coach at Idaho State, was your coach. What was it like to play for Coach Kramer?
A: He made football fun for us. I suffered a concussion against Sacramento State, and we had a week off. When I came back, he was trying to protect me, so he came out with this big helmet that weighted three times as much as the helmet I’d been playing with. He was trying to help me and protect me. I walked on the field and got dizzy. The helmet was so big. I was finally able to get by regular helmet back and function. All the players still connect because of Coach Kramer. We will throw out “Kramer lines” all the time, and we all know exactly what we’re talking about. One of his favorites was, “hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.’’ He was into the science and nutrition and how it impacted performance on the field. He loves the underdog. He loves football. He’s a bigger-than-life character, no doubt about it. He’s a big, physical guy. For someone like me to earn his respect, it meant a lot to me.
Q: You won the 1997 Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year award. Do you still have the plaque?
A: Yes I do. I just saw it a couple of weeks ago. It’s in my old room in Olympia, Wash., at my parents’ house. I actually promised my dad that if we won the Big Sky, I’d give him my ring because my parents helped pay for my school the first couple of years when I was a walk-on. He still has it.
Q: In 2010, Eastern Washington won its first Division I Championship, rallying from a 19-0 win to beat Delaware 20-19. Did you follow the Eagles’ run to Frisco, Texas?
A: I watched all of the playoff games on TV or through the Internet. I didn’t make it to the championship game, but everyone that went said it was one of the best weekends of their lives. To be honest, when they won it, there was so much pressure lifted off my shoulders because I felt we had this great opportunity in 1997. There were some bizarre circumstances in the Youngstown State game. I felt responsible somewhat for not getting us past the Youngstown State game. For me, personally there was a lot of relief. To see Cheney and Spokane finally able to celebrate a championship after we came so close in 1997 was really exciting.
Q: They were down 19-0. Did you think about turning off the TV?
A: Oh yeah. At halftime, I got in my car and drove to run some errands. I felt even worse. But I didn’t give up.
Q: You’ve been back to Cheney a couple of times in recent years. Since you played, the stadium is almost entirely new from the press box, to a video board to the red turf. What are your thoughts on the success of EWU football?
A: The atmosphere has changed a lot. All of us were blown away by how much bigger things have gotten and the money that has gone into the whole promotion of Eastern Washington football. The game experience has grown significantly. The red turf is even redder in person. It’s awesome. We all love it.
Q: You have an 8-year-old son named Jack. Does he know all about your football exploits?
A: He’s just now starting me to ask those questions. I coached his flag football team this year, and in the last play of the game in the last game of the season, he caught a Hail Mary touchdown pass. It was a great way to end the year. He’s a much better athlete than me. He gets his athleticism from his mom. We watch so many EWU games together, he thinks that red turf is standard at football games. He assumes there is red turf all over the country. I can’t wait to take him to a game.