Missouri State

LEON MILLER
Tennis, 1938-40
Inducted February 23, 1985

One of the great names for Missouri State tennis in the early years after the program was started in 1934, Springfieldian Leon Miller teamed with Gerald Perry at the end of the decade of the 1930's to make MSU the dominant team in MIAA tennis under Coach Walter O. Cralle. Perry and Miller were overwhelming as the two premier players in conference tennis at the end of a string which saw MSU players capture the league singles and doubles championships seven seasons in a row. Miller was the runner-up to Perry in the league singles championship competition in 1938, 1939 and 1940 and he teamed with Perry to claim the conference title in doubles each of those same seasons as the duo went undefeated in doubles competition over that three-year period. Miller was on the basketball team at MSU one year, played tennis during a distinguished Army career in Europe in World War II, and was president of the MSU Alumni Association in 1945-46.