PEMBROKE — David Leake often starts his day with a run around Pembroke, his hometown of more than 50 years.
Now I can take my time for a morning jog and don’t have to hit the start bell.
Leake retired earlier this year after nearly a quarter of a century on staff at Purnell Swett, including 21 years as women’s tennis coach.
“I’m just trying to stay busy, doing what I love, running, working out,” Leake said. “Right now…if I don’t want to do anything, I feel good about doing nothing. Of course, I still keep up with what’s going on at Purnell Sweat.”
From 2000 until the end of the 2023 fall semester, Leake was active in the Purnell Swett community and Rams athletic department in between his coaching duties, his roles as an ISS instructor, and yearbook supervisor. I was active. He also photographed countless Purnell Swett events, sports, and more.
Now 61, he is enjoying a more relaxed lifestyle during the first few months of his retirement.
“Being able to open up and spend as much time as you want takes some getting used to,” Leake says. “I love it; knock on wood, it might change, but right now it’s fun. I live at the university there, so I go to a lot of sporting events at (UNC Pembroke).”
“He will continue to be an integral part of our athletic department,” Purnell Swett athletic director Robert McLean said. “It’s not just tennis. You’ll see him taking pictures at softball games. Last year at a conference tournament game, he was taking pictures of Parnell and Lumberton. He has always been an integral part of our community, and even though he is retired, we are happy that he is still a part of our program.”
Although Leake co-coached varsity, softball and basketball at various points in his career, avid runners ironically point out that he never coached track or cross country.
But he is best known for women’s tennis, around Purnell Swett. In 21 seasons from 2003 to 2023, his teams won 142 games and appeared in the dual-team state playoffs three times. The Rams have qualified for regionals in 17 of those seasons, with Kari Strickland advancing to the state tournament in 2013.
“We have about 15 girls on this year’s team,” McLean said. “I think that’s his lasting influence, the influence he had and the girls who play tennis and the girls who come and want to play tennis. I think that’s his lasting influence. A big reason is his presence.”
Leake took over the program after Al Parnell (for whom Parnell Swett tennis courts are now named) coached the team from the school’s founding in 1984 until 2002. Last season, Parnell had Leake attend practices and travel to away games, then informed Leake. A season in which he wished he had succeeded him.
“I was very excited to follow in Coach Parnell’s footsteps in the fall of 2003,” Leake said. “I tried to do it his way and I knew I couldn’t make a mistake. I’ve always been told that when you coach women’s tennis, you coach good girls, but… They were right. Looking back, I had some great tennis players, and they were all 1000 percent good.”
This fall, Katara Hunt was hired as head coach, becoming the third head coach in program history after Parnell and Leake.
“The stability of this program is amazing even though we only have two coaches,” McLean said. “I don’t think there’s any other program in our particular school that can say that, anyway. He means a lot to Purnell Swett and to our entire athletic program.”
Originally from Maryland, Leake moved to Pembroke as a child and attended Pembroke schools through elementary school, graduating from Pembroke High School in 1981. He also graduated from UNCP in 1986.
His first career was as a journalist at the Laurinburg Exchange, a position he held from 1986 to 2000, before transitioning to a career in education.
“When I was working at the Laurinburg Exchange, reporting on all the teams and talking to all the coaches, I always knew I wanted to be a coach,” Leake said. “Wesley Revels of Purnell Swett gave me the opportunity to come to this school in 2000. Lord, it’s nothing short of amazing.”
Having been coaching for more than 20 years, he has become accustomed to witnessing milestones in the lives of many former players.
“What’s special to me is being invited to a college graduation party, a wedding, a child’s birthday party, or getting a message about a promotion,” Leake said. “Just Tuesday, I went to a middle school track meet and took a photo of my daughter, who is a former athlete.”
Another one of those came Monday, when Leake attended Senior Night for his current Rams team.
“It was really nice to meet the girls, especially the seniors,” Leake said. “I’m not sad about retiring because I have a lot of memories to fall back on. When I’m running long distances, I think of certain athletes and I just smile.”
These days, you can relive those running memories as much as you like.
Sports Editor Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-816-1977 or by email at cstiles@robesonian.com. You can follow him at @StilesOnSports on X.
