Longtime MJC athletic director, coach, known for his love for students, dies at 101
In an April 2018 Modesto Junior College Foundation newsletter, Leon Lafaille reflected on his life and career at MJC.
At the time, he had just turned 100 years old.
“The students and players were my greatest joy!” Lafaille wrote.
Lafaille — who spent 33 years at the school as a athletic director, coach, and teacher — passed away at the age of 101 on May 21.
“He loved athletics of all kinds and had a kindhearted soul,” said George Boodrookas, the Executive Director of the Modesto Junior College Foundation. “The impression he gave was when he was paying attention to you, you were the only person that mattered.”
Born in 1918 in Oakland, Lafaille attended University High School and Stanford University, where he played basketball and earned his teaching degree.
After serving in the U.S. Army Air Corps for four years, Lafaille was a player/coach for an AAU basketball team in Sacramento before taking a teaching job at Monterey High School in 1947.
The following year, MJC athletic director Fred Earle Jr. offered him as the head basketball coach.
The Pirates won two league titles under Lafaille and MJC also won two league titles when he was the golf coach. He was the Pirates Athletic Director from 1953-68.
After his retirement, Lafaille still attended MJC athletic events, including the annual basketball tournament, which is one of the longest college basketball tournaments in the nation and will hold its 82nd event later this year.
He also enjoyed traveling, in particular to France.
“When he was being interviewed (for foundation newsletter), he talked about his trips to Paris,” Boodrookas said. “He gave me some tips for traveling and had a love for that Paris. The last trip he made he said he was around 95 (years-old) and he went over 30 times.”
Lafaille also made an impact in the classroom, where he worked as a physical education teacher.
“As a coach, I always appreciated the loyalty and camaraderie of my teams but I didn’t understand my impact in the classroom until one day a young man came from the back of the class and said, ‘Mr. Lafaille, You’re the only man who’s ever loved me,’ ” he wrote.
“Surprised, I said, ’How do you get that impression?’ He said, ‘Because all semester you’ve been talking directly to me.’ It was then that I understood the true power of teaching.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2019 at 2:04 PM.
