Minium: Tuffy Leemon's 'Dance' Moves Have Become a Staple at Chartway Arena
By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – Mike Jones hadn’t been to an Old Dominion home game in years prior to this season, but like most ODU men’s basketball fans, he has known Tommy “Tuffy” Leemon by reputation for nearly a decade.
Not by name, mind you. Most ODU fans don’t know who he is, his life story or what inspires a 74-year-old man to stand at Chartway Arena and, with cameras taking in his every move, pretend he is in the middle of a trendy Manhattan dance club juking to some exotic music.
Jones, now ODU’s first-year head coach, is a Monarch alumnus who often watched his alma mater on TV. And Tuffy managed to garner a ton of TV coverage over the years.
Honestly, his dancing skills are modest at best. But it is his enthusiasm, that look on his face that says "I'm so cool" and his ability to be make a little fun of himself that makes him so entertaining.
“I love his energy,” Jones said. “I love who he is and at his age, to be able to enjoy life the way he does. He’s a remarkable person, and a great example of why none of us should never take ourselves too seriously.”
Jones and the Monarchs play their final home game of his first season tonight at 7 when they host Georgia State. Tuffy says he’ll be there.
Tuffy is, in fact, at nearly every home game, and in many ways the quintessential ODU fan. His father was in the Navy and although Tuffy began playing sports in California, the family settled in Norfolk when he was in elementary school.
His parents purchased a house in the Norview area, but when Tuffy told them he wanted to attend Granby High School, they rented that house to others and purchased another in Ocean View. Although he now lives in Virginia Beach, “Ocean View will always be home to me,” he said.
He played football and baseball at Granby, including the 1965 Thangsgiving Day football game between the Comets and Maury that drew a sellout crowd to Foreman Field that some estimated at 30,000.
I was there, with my father, and we sat in the aisle on the west side – all the aisles were full.
He earned his nickname during a Granby junior varsity football practice when assistant coach Bill Powell dared him to run over a taller and heavier player during a drill. He pummeled his teammate and was accorded the nickname "Tuffy," then famous because of former New York Giants football star Alphonse “Tuffy” Leemons.
The nickname stuck as did many of the lessons he learned from coach Punchy Marshall.
Tuffy was a teacher and coach for 43 years at Eastern Academy, Norfolk Catholic, Brunswick County and Heritage high schools.
Like many young Norfolk basketball fans 50 years ago, he became enthralled with ODU’s basketball teams then coached by Sonny Allen. He’s been attending games since the Monarchs played home games at Lake Taylor and Wilson high schools.
“I became addicted to ODU basketball,” he said.
He played two seasons of football at VMI, but after getting married, was forced to leave school. He transferred to ODU and played baseball for Bud Metheny.
“I learned so much from Bud,” Tuffy said. “He was such a gentleman and so knowledgeable about the game and life in general.”
For many years, Tuffy umpired American Legion and high school baseball games. He doesn’t remember the night in the late 1970s when he tossed my brother out of a game for back-talking to him.
Years later, I have to admit, Tuffy should have tossed him.
He recalls sitting on the bench at an ODU game with then coach Mark Newman and Ducky Davis, a long-time area umpire.
“Ducky looked at Mark and said, ‘You know Mark, I realize now how right you’ve been over the years. It’s so much easier to see balls and strikes from here than it is from behind the plate.’”
Tuffy began attending ODU games regularly about a decade ago after moving back to the area from Brunswick County and said he stood the first night at a game and did his dance.
“I don’t know why I did,” he said. “Maybe it was because they were giving pizzas away to the best dancer.
“I won a lot of pizzas over the years.”
Tuffy is quick-witted and self-deprecating but he’s also a dedicated family man. He has three children – Hunter, Tate and Cameron – and four grandchildren.
His wife, Louise, is usually by his side at home games and she’s his biggest critic.
“She wants me to get some new moves,” he said. “But I told her my signature move is when I move my hand around my head and that people love that.”
Tuffy has been an ODU football season ticket holder for a decade and also attends a lot of women’s basketball and volleyball games.
“Our volleyball players, they are just amazing athletes,” he said.
“I think everything that ODU does at its basketball games, it’s all first class. The pep band, the cheerleaders and dance team, (public announcer) Jack Ankerson. ODU basketball games are so much fun.
“I’ve had people stop me and take my picture several times inside Chartway. Some take selfies with me.
“It really makes me feel good.”
Funny thing about that. Tuffy has been making fans at Chartway Arena feel good for many years.
Even ODU players, who are supposed to be listening to their coaches during timeouts, and not watching senior citizens dancing in the stands.
“We’ve all seen him,” said forward Dani Pounds. “Even when we’re not looking up in the stands, when he’s dancing, we can hear the crowd, saying, ‘go, go!’
“He brings so much energy to the arena. He must be a really cool guy.”
He is, Dani, a very cool guy.
Minium is ODU’s senior executive writer. Contact him at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram