'True hall-of-famer': Cerebral palsy never slowed down N. Quincy's Mike Leith on the court

Alexandra Weliever, The Patriot Ledger
·4 min read

QUINCY – By many accounts, Mike Leith was one of the most dedicated North Quincy High basketball players when he competed on the high school team in the 1970s.

Leith spent years practicing to make the varsity squad his senior year but he faced challenges bigger than opposing players. Leith was born with cerebral palsy that affected the right side of his body.

Kyle Costa, left, and Mike Leith, of Quincy, were inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during halftime of the North Quincy/Quincy basketball game Friday, January 21, 2022.
Kyle Costa, left, and Mike Leith, of Quincy, were inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during halftime of the North Quincy/Quincy basketball game Friday, January 21, 2022.

He pressed on, though, and was among the starting five for North Quincy's final home game his senior year. The feat did not go unnoticed. The way former teammate Richard Mahoney tells it, the crowd began chanting Leith's nickname when he was announced as starter that game: "Elmo, Elmo, Elmo."

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Nearly 50 years later, Leith's hard work and dedication has been cemented into school history as he was inducted into the North Quincy basketball Hall of Fame on Friday during a game against Quincy High.

“I was just somebody that really didn’t look at myself as somebody that was physically challenged,” Leith said.

Mike Leith, of Quincy, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during halftime of the North Quincy/Quincy basketball game Friday, January 21, 2022.
Mike Leith, of Quincy, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during halftime of the North Quincy/Quincy basketball game Friday, January 21, 2022.

Back in the day

Leith had a passion for basketball – that much was clear, his teammates and former coach said.

“He just loved the game,” Leith's former junior varsity coach Ed Miller said. “He obviously had a disability, as we know, but that never stopped him.”

Leith could be found on the court at Merrymount Park, locally known as "The Mount," all the time, Miller said. His disability didn't stop him from hustling up and down the court. Leith could catch passes and make shots with one hand, and he could easily palm a basketball, the coach said.

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Leith's nickname, "Elmo," comes from the NBA player Zelmo Beaty, as far as former teammate Jack Browne remembers it. Beaty was a good shot blocker, and so was Leith.

Mike Leith, of Quincy, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during halftime of the North Quincy/Quincy basketball game Friday, January 21, 2022.
Mike Leith, of Quincy, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during halftime of the North Quincy/Quincy basketball game Friday, January 21, 2022.

Leith has dealt with the disability his entire life, Miller said, and he never let it get him down.

"He overcame a lot of obstacles to get where he is today,” he said. "We treated him just like the rest of the kids.”

When Miller and head coach Robert “Knobby” Nolan called Leith into their office to give him a varsity jersey, the junior varsity coach said, was amazing.

The student-athlete had played on the junior varsity team his sophomore and junior year, and in 12th grade in 1976, he made the varsity cut.

"It was something he dreamed about," Miller said, "I’m sure.”

In the hall of greats

Miller was the person who called Leith to let him know he'd earned an induction into the hall of fame.

Leith said the call came as a total surprise.

“I wasn't looking for recognition," Leith, 64, said of his time on the team. "I was just looking for acceptance.”

Mike Leith, of Quincy, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during halftime of the North Quincy/Quincy basketball game Friday, January 21, 2022.
Mike Leith, of Quincy, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during halftime of the North Quincy/Quincy basketball game Friday, January 21, 2022.

“Basketball, for me, was an outlet to kind of make me feel equal," he said. "It was kind of ground-breaking to have someone with a physical disability make the basketball team.”

Two of his former teammates, Richard Mahoney and Jack Browne, enthused over Leith's dedication to the game throughout their youth.

"He played the game like you can’t believe,” Mahoney said. “I'm just thrilled for Mike.”

Mahoney recounted that last home game, which was Nolan's last game before he retired. .

"He called that moment one of the highlights of his coaching career,” Mahoney said of Nolan, who has since died.

Browne remembers North Quincy beating their opponent, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.

Mike Leith, of Quincy, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during halftime of the North Quincy/Quincy basketball game Friday, January 21, 2022 .
Mike Leith, of Quincy, was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during halftime of the North Quincy/Quincy basketball game Friday, January 21, 2022 .

“We beat them on sheer adrenaline," he said, "and Mike certainly was a big part of that.”

A news clipping from The Patriot Ledger provided by Mahoney confirmed the team's 88-78 victory.

"He's a true hall-of-famer,” Miller, his former coach, said.

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Reach Alex Weliever at aweliever@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: North Quincy alum Mike Leith inducted into basketball Hall of Fame