Leslie Henry Hunter

Leslie Henry Hunter

August 16, 1942- March 27, 2020

“No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Leslie Henry Hunter, better known to all as Les, was born on August 16, 1942 in Nashville, Tennessee to Andrew Hunter and Martha Jane Hunter (Landers). He was the youngest of three siblings. His parents and one sister, Wilma Rucker, proceeded him in death.

Les, affectionately known as “Buddy”, grew up in West Nashville, and at an early age was dedicated and christened at St. Luke AME Church. He was surrounded by loving family and friends who knew him to be a soft spoken and kind young man.  He was educated in the public schools in Nashville, Tennessee and graduated from Pearl High School in 1960 where he achieved early success as a basketball player with the Pearl High Tigers. The Tigers won the Black National High School Championship for three consecutive years with Les on the team. It was during his high school years that he learned the value of hard work and training to be successful. He was recruited by Loyola University of Chicago to play basketball and received a full athletic scholarship.

At 6 feet 7 inches tall, Les was the starting center for the Loyola Ramblers basketball team. In 1963, Loyola won the NCAA Division I Basketball Championship, a significant milestone in the civil rights movement as no college team had ever started four African American players.  Loyola vs. Mississippi State, also known as the “Game of Change”, altered college basketball and race relations in the country forever. The Ramblers went on to beat Cincinnati for the championship where Les led all Ramblers in scoring. Les always expressed that he was especially proud of what the championship win meant for the recruitment of Black athletes throughout the country. In 1991, Les was inducted into the Loyola University of Chicago Athletics Hall of Fame and his jersey, #41, was retired.

Les graduated from Loyola with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. After his graduation, he was a second-round draft pick for the Detroit Pistons in the 1964 NBA draft.  He would go on to play in the NBA for the Baltimore Bullets, and played six seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) with teams including the New York Nets, Kentucky Colonels, and Miami Floridians. While playing with the Minnesota Muskies he made the ABA All-Star team for two consecutive seasons. During his time playing professional basketball, he earned the nickname “Big Game” Hunter.

A shining moment in his life came in 2013 on the 50th anniversary of the NCAA championship game when Les and the 1963 Loyola Ramblers were invited to the White House to meet with the first African American president of the United States, President Barack Obama. President Obama recognized and commended the team for their contributions to civil rights and the sport of basketball. That same year the Ramblers were the first-ever team to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2016, Les along with his Pearl High and Loyola teammate, Vic Rouse (Deceased), was inducted into the Metro Nashville Public School Sports Hall of Fame. Other honors and accolades include the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame and the Trailblazers in Sports Award presented by the Rainbow Push Coalition.

Les Hunter, a man of exceptional character, took pride in his family.  He married Betty Ruth Doak, whom he kept in touch with from high school, on September 7, 1964. They were happily married for over 55 years. Les and Betty had two daughters from this union. He was a loving, easy-going father, and always took an interest in his daughters’ activities. They bonded over sports, arts, music, and culture, and had a special relationship that was beyond measure.

After retiring from basketball, he and his family settled in Overland Park, Kansas. Inspired by his southern roots, Les became an entrepreneur and opened a successful bar-b-que restaurant were the sauce was based on the recipe of his grandmother, Daisy Hunter, affectionately called Mama Daisy. Hunter’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que became a place where patrons could connect with friends and neighbors and those who loved good food.  Les became known throughout Johnson County as a respected business owner and community leader.  Les and his family became members of Metropolitan Baptist Church where he was baptized into the Baptist faith.  Les was an active member of Metropolitan and served on the Trustee Board and was a past mentor of young men at the church. He was a faithful member until his health began to fail and he could no longer attend church as he desired. 

Les was a true-blue Kansas City Royals fan. How truly happy he was when the Royals won the World Series in 2014 and was also very excited when the Kansas City Chiefs won Superbowl LIV.  His other hobbies and favorite pastimes included all things culinary - cooking, eating, grilling in the backyard. He also enjoyed going to dinner and movies with Betty, loved a good round of golf, listening to classic soul music, playing cards, watching the game show Jeopardy, and playing Words with Friends with his daughters. Les, affectionately known as “Pa Pa” by his three grandsons, was a proud grandfather and kept up with their accomplishments in school and sports. He delighted in the fact that they also have a love and talent for the game of basketball and provided encouraging words of support and some pointers.  

During his semi-retirement years, Les found great joy teaching math to students in the practical nursing program at Kansas City Kansas Community College. He was a member of the National Basketball Players Association, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc., and the Johnson County National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Throughout his lifetime he was known as mild-mannered, kind, and gentle, with a great sense of humor, and genuinely liked by all.  Throughout his lifetime he had many moments of fame and celebrity status, but Les was never a boastful man, and he was always approachable.

Leslie Henry Hunter transitioned to eternal life with God on Friday, March 27, 2020 at his home in Overland Park, Kansas. He was 77 years old. He leaves to carry on his legacy a devoted wife, Betty; daughters, Stephanie Peaks (Mark), Duluth, Georgia and Tracie Hunter, Washington, D.C.; three grandchildren, Warner Peaks, William Peaks, Wade Peaks; sister, Patricia Ann Wright, Nashville, Tennessee; niece and nephews Racquel Davis (Michael), Monye Rucker, Royce Doak, Jr., Larrick Doak; the Spears Walker family; longtime friends Jerry Harkness, Jack Egan, Ron Miller, Rich Rochelle; the entire Loyola University of Chicago family; Cincy Powell; and a host of family, friends, and caring neighbors.

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