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5/14/24

Two former ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Athletic Department members were inducted into the first class of the Region 19 Hall of Fame on Sunday, May 5^th.  Former Athletic Director Al Leister and former Men’s Basketball Coach Howie Landa were both selected as Mercer’s members of the inaugural Hall of Fame class.

Al Leister served as ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Athletic Director from 1970-1989.  During his tenure, Leister introduced the following programs as varsity sports: women’s tennis in 1973, men’s tennis in 1974, women’s basketball in 1976-1977, softball in 1977 and women’s soccer in 1981.   Under Leister’s leadership, ¾«¶«´«Ã½ teams participated in 52 NJCAA National Tournaments, winning four National Championships (Men’s Basketball in 1973 and 1974 and Men’s Soccer 1982 and 1988) and were runner-up five times. In addition, Mercer teams won 40 Region crowns and 39 Conference titles.  Leister also helped create ¾«¶«´«Ã½’s first sports camp and helped to form the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Foundation.

During Leister’s leadership as ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Athletic Director, Vikings teams participated in 52 NJCAA National Tournaments, winning four National Championships (Men’s Basketball in 1973 and 1974 and Men’s Soccer 1982 and 1988) and were National Runner-Up five times.

During the 1963-64 season, Landa led the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ men’s basketball team on their first trip to Nationals in Hutchinson, KS. Under Landa’s leadership, the 1972-73 team finally brought home the National Title, beating the host team, Hutchinson, in the Championship game and completing a record-breaking 34-3 season. The streak continued with another national title in the 1973-74 season. With their two National Championships, Mercer remains the only East Coast team to win the NJCAA title in men’s basketball.

Over his 25 plus years of coaching men’s basketball at ¾«¶«´«Ã½, Landa recorded 495 wins, including ten regional championships and fifteen district titles.

In addition to coaching men’s basketball, Landa also coached baseball and men’s soccer, and served as the Athletic Director for a few years during the 60’s. Landa was named NJCAA Region XIX Coach of the Year ten times, and National Coach of the Year three times.

Landa has been inducted into the Philadelphia Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, the Lebanon Valley College Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and the NJCAA Hall of Fame.

Both Leister and Landa are also members of ¾«¶«´«Ã½’s first Athletic Hall of Fame class. 

To read more about the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ Athletic Hall of Fame, visit: /athletics_hof.shtml