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 ALBANY, N.Y. (September 14, 2007)
-- The City School District of Albany and Mayor Gerald D. Jennings
joined the family of one of the city's most accomplished athletes Friday
to dedicate the Charles I. Leigh Sr. Football Field at Bleecker Stadium
before Albany High's home-opener against CBA.
The ceremony honored the
late Charlie Leigh, a former Albany High star and NFL
player who is perhaps best remembered as a member of the Miami Dolphins
17-0 team of the 1972 season. Mr. Leigh was a four-year football
standout at Albany High, including the perfect season of 1964, and also
is remembered as a stalwart in the community following his NFL career.
Mr. Leigh loved three things above all else: his family, his city and
his high school. All were well represented at the ceremony as Superintendent Eva C. Joseph, Ed.D., and Mayor
Jennings presented Mr. Leigh’s No. 33 football jersey to Mrs.
Marie Leigh, Charlie's widow, and her family. The number will be retired by Albany High
School.
Flanked by the players from Albany High and CBA during
the pre-game ceremony, Dr. Joseph urged each of them to remember that
Mr. Leigh's legacy extended far beyond the football field.
"Charlie was so much more to this community than an
athlete," she said. "He was a mentor. He was a coach. He was a friend.
And more than anything else, he was a proud husband and father. Charlie
Leigh was a man who never forgot what really mattered in life.
"So tonight and throughout your own lives, remember
Charlie Leigh. Remember that there was more to his life than football.
Remember how much he cared about his community and his family, and how
much he gave back to the city he loved. And remember to commit
yourselves to those same ideals."
The City School
District of Albany serves almost 9,400 students in 19
elementary, middle and high schools. The district includes several
magnet schools and programs, as well as other innovative academic
opportunities for students in addition to neighborhood schools. The
district is more than halfway through its comprehensive facilities
project to newly build and/or renovate nearly all of its elementary
and middle schools. The ultimate goal of the facilities project is
to provide schools with the resources necessary to help students
succeed in the 21st century.
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