North Carolina Writer To Pen Book About Late, Local Coach Keith LeClair

Coach Keith LeClairPublished in The Message, June 3, 2009
Writer and soon–to–be author Bethany Bradsher of Greenville, North Carolina, is currently writing a book about the late East Carolina University (ECU) baseball coach and Walpole, NH native Keith LeClair, who tragically passed away from ALS or Lou Gerhig’s disease in 2006.
Bradsher knows the LeClair legacy very well, having not only been a sports writer in the Greenville/East Carolina University–area for 10 years– where LeClair was the head baseball coach for five years before passing away–but also knows Keith's widow Lynn, who was the author’s bible study teacher in 2000. Bradsher has written for East Magazine (ECU's alumni magazine), the Pirate's Chest (ECU's Pirate Club monthly magazine) and the ECU sports web site bonesville.net, where she has written a regular column the past four years.
“I have been a freelance sportswriter covering East Carolina for a decade and having been an eyewitness to his story. In that role, I have become well acquainted with many people who were close to Keith,” Bradsher said in an exclusive Message interview. “I also share Keith's strong Christian faith, which was such an important part of his life and particularly his last years. I knew I could write about issues of faith with understanding.”
Over the past three years, two other writers had committed to writing a book about LeClair's life, however, both had somehow fallen through. Then in January, Bradsher, through a mutual friend, approached Lynn about the possibility of writing the book. From there, the writer and Lynn began talking about the possibility and in February they came to an agreement that she would write the book.
“Since starting the manuscript I have learned a lot of new things about Keith, but one of the most surprising was his passionate defense of his players, which frequently led to his ejection from games. “This happened more frequently at Western Carolina (WCU) in his younger coaching years. He mellowed, people say, when he had children. However, one former ECU player also said that he was only ever kicked out of games when he was rightfully defending a player which endeared him to his players.”
Bradsher recently visited Walpole, staying with the LeClair family as to learn more about the small town in which Keith grew up, and to meet and interview various people who knew him well. This editor, who was in the same Fall Mountain Regional High School graduating class (1984) as Keith, was also fortunate enough to visit with the LeClair family in Walpole and meet Bradsher.
“ I told several friends before I went to Walpole that I didn't have any images of Keith's childhood, except perhaps a vision of some Norman Rockwell painting, and I wasn't too far off,” Bradsher exclaimed. “I found Walpole charming, quaint and beautiful, and the people were more than generous with their time and memories of Keith. I came away with a complete picture of what made him such a successful coach and focused person, where before, my profile had began when he was 18.”
writer Bethany BradsherLeClair's story is nothing short of inspiring. After graduating from Fall Mountain in 1984, LeClair made the West Carolina University baseball team as a walk–on in 1985, and helped lead the Catamounts baseball team to four consecutive Southern Conference league championships. To this day, Keith still ranks among the top ten in several WCU hitting categories.
After college, LeClair signed with the Atlanta Braves organization and after one season in the single–A Pioneer League, returned to his alma mater in 1989 as an assistant coach. Three seasons later he would become the youngest college head baseball coach in the nation at age 25, while compiling an impressive 229–135 record over six seasons at WCU.
LeClair would move on to coach ECU in 1997 and in just five seasons became the school’s second all–time winningest coach with a 219–96 record, before being diagnosed with ALS in 2001. The awards and honors over the years for LeClair were numerous, including first–team All–Southern Conference choice and tournament MVP as a player, and five conference coach of the year honors as a coach.
His #23 has been retired by both WCU and ECU and the new, 3,000 seat ECU baseball stadium is named in his honor. LeClair is also a member of the WCU sports Hall of Fame, and an annual baseball tournament played by top Division I schools is also named in his honor.
Currently, it has been a very exciting week in Greenville, as ECU is hosting its first NCAA Regionl a baseball tournament in Clark–LeClair Stadium. There is indeed much more to tell about the life and inspiration of not only Keith LeClair the baseball player and coach, but also the person that he was.
It is good to know that the story is being told by someone who sees first hand, the impact Mr. LeClair continues to have on so many people not only down south, but also back home in Walpole. Published by Whitecaps Media based in Houston, the book is planned for release in late February 2010, to coincide with the annual LeClair Classic baseball tournament.