Lester “Butch” Leitl, former UW-Platteville football coach, has been honored with a new scholarship in his name, set up by alumnus Mike Routhieaux and his wife Bernadette.

Leitl coached at UW-P for 41 years before retiring in 1969. He coached football and basketball during his tenure.

The Leitl scholarship is one of over 130 scholarships named after the coach, according to alumni services. The scholarship is open to any continuing student at UW-P who is from Wisconsin, Illinois or Iowa. Students must have at least a sophomore status and a declared major in the School of Agriculture.
“I want people to recognize Leitl and what he meant to me,” Routhieaux said.

Other qualifications for the scholarship include a demonstation of outstanding leadership and involvement on and off campus.

Although he was not a graudate of UW-P, Leitl’s coaching abilities have made him a household name around campus. Last year, the football field was named after him in honor of his contributions, and Routhieaux was also a part of that project.

According to the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association, Leitl was born in 1899 in Sturgeon Bay. He attended school at both UW-Oshkosh and UW-Madison before becoming a coach at UW-P.

Leitl loved his players, which made him a likeable coach.

“He was humorous, big hearted, and spoke in a language relatable to his players,” Routhieaux said.

Routhieaux participated in both track and field as well as football, where he had his first encounter with Leitl as a coach. Routhieaux graduated from UW-P in 1965 with many fond memories of his coach.

Leitl was a special gentleman, enjoying a win as much as anyone else, but also maintained a good relationship with his players, Routhieaux said.

Coach Leitl died in 1980 but UW-P continues to remember him. Leitl was inducted into the UW-P Athletic Hall of Fame in 1972, where he was honored for his coaching abilities. He was also inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1980.