Garden City Resident Inducted into Manhattan College’s Athletic Hall of Fame

Thomas Leder ’61, a two-time former Manhattan College athlete in baseball and basketball and a resident of Garden City, was inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame at its 33rd annual ceremony on Saturday.

Along with Leder, seven other inductees and the 1986 women’s cross country team were also honored at the event, which is sponsored by the Manhattan College Alumni Society.

After a stellar high school career, Leder came to Manhattan College on a baseball scholarship and pitched a 10-0 shutout his freshman year against St. John’s University. Boasting a sophomore ERA of 1.35 and a batting average of .321, Leder was selected to the All-Star Team of the Metropolitan Collegiate Baseball Conference in 1959.

He was named Manhattan’s Most Valuable Player and leading pitcher in the Met Conference in 1960 and earned an honorable mention as a leading pitcher in the Met Conference in 1961.

On the basketball court, Leder led the Jaspers as captain in 1960-61, shooting better than 50 percent from the field throughout his career and averaging more than six rebounds per game. He also scored 19 points against Providence College in the NIT in 1959.

Upon graduation, Leder signed with the Cincinnati Reds and pitched in the minor leagues in Tampa Bay, FL. Following his baseball career, he brought the same dedication to his work as he had on the field and court. Starting at Proctor and Gamble in the packaging industry, he worked his way up to regional sales manager for Gulf States Paper.