Chuck Leonard has manned the Colts scoreboard since they came to Indianapolis in 1984

RICHIE HALL
sports@readthereporter.com

(The Reporter) — Ever since the Colts came to Indianapolis 39 years ago, there has been one constant presence with the team.

Chuck Leonard has been the scoreboard operator for the Colts ever since they played their first game back in 1984. Leonard estimates that he has presided over 400 games for the team. That run will come to an end soon, as Leonard is retiring from his scoreboard duties at the end of the season.

“Forty years is a long time,” said Leonard. “If you’ve done anything 40 years, you always think ‘Is it time to turn it over to somebody else?’ I think it is. It’ll be sad, because I really enjoyed it.”

Leonard said that his becoming the scoreboard operator was “a little bit of an accident. My brother-in-law, Jim Mathis, had a television syndication company and when the Hoosier Dome was under construction, he toured the facility and saw that when it opened, it only had one screen called a Diamond Vision.”

Mathis submitted a proposal to have his company operate the Diamond Vision screen and the message boards in the arena. Part of the contract included operating the scoreboard.

“He didn’t know that was going to be a part of it, didn’t have anybody in his organization that knew much about football,” said Leonard. “He asked me, ‘Would you be interested in running the scoreboard at the Hoosier Dome?’”

Leonard said yes, of course, and a decades-long run began at both the Hoosier Dome (1984 to 2007) and the Colts’ present site at Lucas Oil Stadium (since 2008). Leonard has never missed a game since the Colts came to town.

Leonard began his scoreboard-operating duties at the same time he started another longtime position: he was the superintendent of Hamilton Southeastern Schools from 1984 until his retirement in 2001. Prior to that, Leonard worked for Lawrence Township Schools for 23 years in several positions.

On the level

Leonard said that when he operates the scoreboard, he is at the press box level and exactly on the 50-yard line. He prefers that, since it’s the best view for him to see which yard line the referees will place the ball on.

“When the play ends, I need to know quickly what yard the next play’s going to be on,” said Leonard. He said that if the side officials are doing their job well, they’ll put their foot down at the spot where the ball’s going to go when it gets moved to the middle of the field.

The people most concerned about a correct scoreboard are the videographers for the Colts and their opponent that week. They swing their cameras over to the scoreboard before every play, so getting the information on the scoreboard quickly is also of the utmost importance.

“Shooting a scoreboard lets them know what the situation was before that play ran,” said Leonard. “In order to be effective, the information has to get up on the scoreboard fast enough so they can swing their camera over. That can be a challenge sometimes, especially when a team is running a hurry-up offense, so it’s important to be quick and accurate to get the information up there to do their job.”

Leonard said that during the game, he is standing next to the Colts’ video director, Stewart Cramer.

“That’s the person that’s really concerned about speed and accuracy on the scoreboard,” said Leonard.

Mixed feelings

After all those years and hundreds of games and other events, Leonard will operate the scoreboard for the last time on Sunday, Jan. 7, when the Colts play the Texans. It’s a date that Leonard said he will approach with “mixed feelings,” since he truly enjoyed the experience of running the scoreboard for each game. Leonard has been training a new scoreboard operator, Jon Glesing, to take his place once he retires.

“Now he’s with me and he splits the actual operation time, so he’ll be ready to take over next fall,” said Leonard.

At the same time, Leonard said that the Colts’ schedule “especially around Christmas,” makes it tough. Leonard spoke to the Reporter a few days before Christmas, when he and his wife Janet were enjoying a stay in Florida, a frequent destination for them due to family.

“It always makes it a challenge to get down here for Christmas, then get back down to Colts games,” said Leonard.

Leonard is also an avid golfer, so the prospect of Sundays in the fall being free for a trip to the course is appealing. “I love to play golf and there are nice Sundays when I could be down at the golf course and listen to the Colts on the radio,” he said.

He may be trading the scoreboard for more time on the fairway, but Leonard will always have fond memories of his 40-year accidental career with the Colts.

“I’m very happy to have done it,” said Leonard. And the Colts and their fans were happy to have him.