M Club Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1992
Leslie Steele arrived at Memphis State in 1940 after a brilliant junior college career. He scored 1,390 career points in junior college and was offered a position with the New York Original Celtics after scoring 18 points against the professional team in an exhibition game. Steele opted to accept a scholarship from Memphis State Teachers College instead and played for two seasons . In his first season, Steele scored 42 points against Southwestern (now Rhodes College) and is still tied for fourth place in the Memphis State record book for most points score in a single game. Following World War II, he returned to Memphis State to complete his degree and play basketball during the 1946-47 campaign. He taught, coached and was superintended of schools in Arkansas and Mississippi.
