The Montini Catholic High School community is mourning the death of longtime teacher and baseball coach Bill Leeberg, who died on June 15. Leeberg, who attended the school and was a member of its first graduating class—the Class of 1970—returned to the school after graduating from Lewis University, where he played baseball.
After graduating from Lewis, Leeberg joined the Montini Catholic staff as an English teacher and the school’s sophomore baseball coach. He took over as the Broncos’ head baseball coach before the start of the 1978 season. In his 33 seasons as head coach, Leeberg’s teams posted a 732-288 record. Montini’s baseball program won 12 conference championships, 14 regional titles, and three sectional championships under Leeberg. The Broncos won the third-place trophy in the 2002 IHSA Class A state tournament. Three years later, Montini posted a second-place finish in the 2005 IHSA Class A state tournament.
Leeberg, who was elected to the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, retired from coaching after the 2011 season.
As an English teacher at Montini, Leeberg was well known for his rendition of “Casey at the Bat.” According to the school, his performance became so popular that he not only recited it for his classes, but was also invited to perform “Casey” at numerous charity events.
