FORT PIERCE, Fla. (March 10, 2022) - Indian River State College has moved forward with honoring a second, long-serving legendary coach.

In January, the College announced it will name its baseball facility after long-time coach Mike Easom. Last month, the announcement came that former head men's basketball coach Mike Leatherwood will be honored by having his name permanently imprinted on the hardwood of the IRSC basketball court.  Henceforth, Indian River State College will play its home games on Mike Leatherwood Court. 

Leatherwood was hired at Indian River in 1970 and served as the Pioneers' head coach for 37 years. On December 20, 2005, he became the FCSAA's all-time winningest basketball coach, notching his 629th win. He went on to finish his career with 703 victories as head coach with "The River." His talents were well-regarded and earned him multiple accolades. He has been honored as an inductee in multiple Hall of Fames to include: NJCAA Men's Basketball Hall of Fame, FCSAA Hall of Fame, FCSAA Men's Basketball Hall of Fame, St. Lucie County Athletics Hall of Fame and the Pensacola High School Hall of Fame. Additionally, he led the Pioneers of Indian River to a state title in 1975, was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year 12 times and served as the Kuwaiti National Team Coach from 1981-83.

As a player, Leatherwood led Pensacola Junior College in scoring for two years and was named First-team All-Region in 1967. His play at Pensacola earned him a spot on the University of Florida basketball team. At UF, he played on the team's first-ever post-season NIT team in 1969 and led the Gators in assists during both seasons in Gainesville. He set the UF single-game and single-season records for assists with 14 and 129, respectively.

According to Scott Kimmelman, Director of Athletics at Indian River State College, there will be an official ceremony to honor Coach Leatherwood in the Fall of 2022 to coincide with the opening of the 2022-23 basketball season.