| Overall UK Wins: 1 | Overall UK Losses: 0 | Win % 100 |
Date of Birth: December 7, 1902
Date of Death: September 30, 1979
Hometown: San Francisco, CA
Alma Mater: California [1927]
For a generalized listing of officials, please consult this page.
| Date | Matchup | W/L | Score | UK Fouls | Opp Fouls | UK FTA | Opp FTA | UK DQ | Opp DQ | Technicals | Officiating Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/27/1951 | Kentucky vs. Kansas State | W | 68 - 58 | 23 | 23 | 24 | 20 | 3 | 1 | - | Joe Conway (Wisconsin) and Lloyd Leith (California) |
Obituary - San Francisco Examiner (October 1, 1979)
S.F. Basketball Giant Leith Dies, 76
by Al Corona
The City, basketball and thousands of youngster he coach at Balboa, Washington and Mission in a teaching career that spanned more than five decades were saddened today by the death of Lloyd Leith.
Leith, 76, died yesterday of cancer at St. Mary's Hospital after a long illness. Funeral services are pending.
"He not only was a good coach," Benny Neff, the former Lowell pilot said today, "but Lloyd was probably one of the finest basketball officials we've ever had out here."
Neff probably knew Leith as well as anybody in the area. For many years, his duels while Neff was Lowell coach against Leith's Washington and Mission teams were prep classes. "I was fortunate most of the time to have the most talented kids," Neff said. "But he always managed to make us fight for our lives to come out on top."
Former USF coach and Pacific Coast Conference official Wally Cameron agrees with Neff's judgement of Leith as a top-flight official.
"He (Leith) was the master, Cameron praised. "He took us all under his wing and taught us what it took to make a good basketball official."
In fact after Leith retired from the city school system seven years ago at the age of 70, the National Basketball Association thought so highly of him it quickly hired Leith as supervisor of NBA referees. Until illness curtailed his activities, Leith graded the NBA officials in league action and also scouted college officials, whom he considered likely NBA material.
"What made Leith so great an official," Neff and Cameron agreed his ability to take charge. "You immediately knew who was boss," Cameron said.
He'd let both teams know this before the opening tip so there would be no misunderstanding."
A graduate of the University of California. Leith once vowed never again to officiate another game for then University of California coach Nibs Price.
It was back in 1939 after Cal was defeated by Stanford.
According to Leith, Price stalked into the officials dressing room and told Leith he didn't call the game as it should have been called.
"If Price feels that his team would win if I wasn't calling the game," Leith was quoted, "then it's up to me to get out. And that's just what I did. I don't want to be the cause of any team losing a game."
The misunderstanding, however, was later cleared up.
Frank McIntyre, a former official, was especially saddened by Leith's death. "We have been working to have Lloyd enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame," McIntyre said. "And there is a good chance he will make it. It would have been great if he had lived long enough to see it."
Erv Delman, another former coach who is still officiating, said Leith's death was a great loss to basketball. "He was the pioneer for officiating in the Bay Area," Delman said. Because of his knowledge of the game, Lloyd was instrumental in several national rule changes."
Leith is survived by his wife, Marge, and daughter Lori Biles of Martinez.
