Al Ledingham

Builder (2015)

Football

Al Ledingham had a 25-year career coaching football in Saskatoon at the high school, junior and university levels.

He played for the Hilltops for three years, winning the Canadian junior championship in 1958 and '59, and for one season with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

Ledingham began coaching in 1961 as an assistant with the Hilltops. He was named the Hilltops' head coach the next year.

In his seven years with the Hilltops, they were in the Man-Sask League final five times and the western final twice. In 1968, the Hilltops won the Canadian championship, defeating the Ottawa Sooners 27-19. The '68 team was the first club in Canada with a soccer-style placekicker, now a common style in the sport.

Starting in 1969, Ledingham was head coach of the U of S Huskies for three years. He resigned to concentrate on his work as a high school administrator.

His coaching involvement continued in high school, as well as being an assistant to Paul Schoenhals with the Hilltops in the mid-70s.

A student of the game, Ledingham read widely and attended coaching clinics, mainly in the United States. Through his studies, he introduced new thinking to Saskatchewan football in defensive schemes, the passing game and the kicking game.

In addition to coaching, Ledingham served on the executive of football governing bodies at both the provincial and national levels. With the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Union, he helped to introduce and organize instructional clinics for coaches, trainers and officials.

Ledingham was part of the team which produced the first Level 1 manual for coaching football in Canada.

** Deceased