Thursday, Jan. 15, 2004 | 11:13 a.m.
Amid myriad floral displays Wednesday at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 4040 E. Wyoming Ave., five red and white arrangements spelled out "C-O-A-C-H" in a tribute to native Las Vegan Myron E. Leavitt.
The accompanying card from the Optimist Falcons Pop Warner football team of the 1970s read: "Thank you for keeping us from falling through the cracks."
Family members and friends of Leavitt, who died Friday in Las Vegas at age 73, remembered him not so much as a Nevada Supreme Court justice, District Court judge, lieutenant governor, Clark County commissioner, Las Vegas city councilman or for other posts he held, but rather as a devoted family man who despite his busy public duties always found time to coach boys and girls youth teams.
During a two-hour service, an overflow crowd of more than 1,500 mourners heard community leaders, including Gov. Kenny Guinn, and each of Leavitt's 11 children, praise the man who rose from high school football hero to revered jurist.
Several family members said Leavitt was such a stickler for details, he scripted much of his own funeral, down to a stirring bagpipe performance by Randy Woodward -- a tribute to the Leavitt family's Scottish roots -- and a version of the state song, "Home Means Nevada," by his 34 grandchildren.
Guinn, who had a long Pop Warner coaching rivalry against Leavitt, recalled how Leavitt often would put in substitutes to avoid running up the score on Guinn's teams. Guinn said it was not in the highly competitive Leavitt's character to be so charitable. But at the end of games Leavitt would shout to the then-Clark County school superintendent: "I have 11 kids up for graduation!"
"He was a unique person with care for his community," Guinn said. "He had a sternness with a loving hand."
More than 60 area judges, from municipal to state courts, and scores of local attorneys including Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, attended the services, effectively shutting down much of the local judiciary system Wednesday afternoon.
Because the event drew so many judges and elected officials officers in green military jumpsuits used bomb-detection dogs as part of a security sweep of the church a couple of hours prior to the funeral.
Just before the service began, Richard Bryan, a former Nevada governor and U.S. senator, recalled his family's long history with Leavitt. Bryan's father ran against Leavitt for Las Vegas Justice of the Peace in 1958 and 1960 and Bryan beat Leavitt in the 1982 Democratic primary for governor. As a youngster, Bryan he watched Leavitt star in football and track at Las Vegas High.
In 1944, Leavitt was a freshman on coach Harvey Stanford's nationally acclaimed undefeated and unscored-upon Wildcat squad. Bryan, who attended Las Vegas High in the 1950s, said Leavitt developed his coaching skills -- and many of his life skills -- based on Stanford's philosophies that included: "If the elevator to success is not running, take the stairs."
"Myron was not a hotshot, but was down-to-earth," said Bryan, who appointed his one-time gubernatorial opponent to the District Court in 1984, where Leavitt served 14 years before winning election to the state Supreme Court, where he served the last six years of his life. Leavitt's longtime law partner Bill Boyd, son of Las Vegas gaming legend Sam Boyd and head of the Boyd Gaming Group, said Leavitt's devotion to coaching youth sports was even more remarkable given that he worked full time practicing law.
Dave Cox, Leavitt's lifelong friend who helped him coach numerous youth teams from boys football to girls softball, said "somehow, some way he would always find a way to win."
Leavitt's daughter Kathy Wright, who coached girls softball with her father, said despite his competitive nature, he also had great compassion.
She recalled how the father of their leadoff hitter died and subsequently the girl's performance level dropped to the detriment of the team. When Kathy suggested they take the player out of the game, Myron told her, "some things are more important," and allowed the girl to remain in her hitting slot.
Tom Leavitt said when children on his father's teams could not afford athletic equipment, he'd take them to Turf's Sporting Goods and told them "pick out what you want" and then paid for the items.
Andy Leavitt played on some of his father's teams and said, "he taught us values, principles and ideals." Delbert Leavitt said his father "made us all tough" and inspired him to coach youth sports.
Jim Leavitt, who on Nov. 17 had donated a kidney to his ailing father, said Myron Leavitt, as a coach, taught him and others, "if you get knocked down you've got to get up. He is the greatest example of what I want to be."
Leavitt was born on Oct. 27, 1930, in a house at 328 N. 11th Street that still stands today. He was All State in football and played on two state championship teams. He participated on three state champion track teams, winning the 100-yard and 220-yard dashes his senior year and was team captain.
Leavitt edited the Las Vegas High School newspaper and graduated in 1948, earning an athletic scholarship to the University of Nevada Reno, where he was a star running back and sprinter.
After graduating with a bachelor's degree in journalism, Leavitt worked briefly as sports editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal then enrolled at the University of Utah, where he earned his law degree.
Leavitt served as North Las Vegas deputy city attorney from 1956 to 1957, Las Vegas justice of the peace from 1961 to 1962, Clark County commissioner from 1971 to 1974, Las Vegas city councilman from 1975 to 1978 and lieutenant governor from 1979 to 1982.
In addition to his children and grandchildren, Leavitt is survived by his wife of 49 1/2 years Shirley Leavitt and a brother Jack Leavitt.
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