LEON MILLER
Tennis, 1938-40
Inducted February 23, 1985
 
One of the great names for SMS 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 SMS 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 SMS players capture the league singles and doubles championships seven seasons in a row.  Miller was the runnerup 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 SMS one year, played tennis during a distinguished Army career in Europe in World War II, and was president of the SMS Alumni Association in 1945-46.