Leroy Bates: You will be missed!

What a shock. Leroy Bates, boys basketball coach at Libbey High School and a great friend of NOBMA, announced this week he was resigning as coach after his team reached the state finals and lost by one-point this year. Leroy, of course, helped us establish the MLK Classic, which is our main scholarship fundraiser and now one one of the premiere events in Northwest Ohio on MLK Day. There were years were if it wasn't for Leroy, we may not have had a Classic. I remember those years and will always be grateful for his dedication to the cause. The Classic is as much Leroy's history as it is ours. In a phone conversation with him today, he said he was simply tired and wanted to make sure the basketball players at Libbey had someone that could give them his full attention. He also said he gave him a chance to go out on top. He will still coach cross country and track and teach and will still be involved with the community. We know you will still be around, but we will sure miss you on the sidelines. Thank you again for the years of service to Libbey and NOBMA.