KUTZTOWN, Pa. – Former Kutztown University football head coach and Kutztown Hall of Fame member Dr. Al. F. Leonzi passed away Wednesday afternoon after a brief illness. He was 71 years old.
Memorial services will be held at the dates below:
Sunday, February 23 - 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. - viewing at Heintzelman Funeral Home in Schnecksville, PA
Monday, February 24 - mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Joseph the Worker Roman Catholic Church in Orefield, PA
Leonzi was a member of the Kutztown University football team's coaching staff for more than 25 years, including six seasons as head coach. Between 1993 and 1997, Leonzi was the full-time head coach, during which the Golden Bears had .500 or better records three of the five seasons. He also stepped in as an interim head coach in 1984.
Leonzi was inducted into the Kutztown Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.
Leonzi served various other capacities in his time at Kutztown, including coaching defensive backs, defensive line, linebackers, perimeter and special teams. His primary role as an assistant coach was as defensive coordinator, spending 19 seasons (1969-88) in the role under the late George Baldwin.
Leonzi built defenses that were ranked atop the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) annually and were ranked nationally in Division II. He coached 112 All-PSAC players and eight Division II All-Americans, including former Buffalo Bills wideout Andre Reed and former Denver Broncos linebacker John Mobley. Reed was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this month.
Leonzi was a professor of secondary education at KU beginning in 1969 until his retirement in 2005 as professor emeritus. He served as the department chairman from 1980-83.
He coached football and wrestling at Westfield (NJ) High School from 1965-69. He was a four-sport standout at Summit Hill High School, where he graduated in 1960. Leonzi earned his bachelor's degree in arts and sciences (1964) and a master's degree in secondary education (1965) from Penn State University. He received his doctorate in education from Pacific Western in 1992.
Leonzi has been inducted into the National Football Foundation Lehigh Valley Chapter Hall of Fame (2000) as well as the Carbon County Area Sports Hall of Fame (2007).
Leonzi and his wife, Roseann, lived in South Whitehall Township. He is also survived by his son, Doug, a 1992 All-PSAC receiver at East Stroudsburg; daughter-in-law Melissa; and three grandchildren — Jenna, Maeve and Gabrielle.
