Highly-accomplished Leister ready to come home

In the annals of athletic accomplishments, few coaches at the NAIA level have the background John Leister has. An All-Conference quarterback at Michigan State, drafted not once, but twice in Major League Baseball, played for both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Boston Red Sox. Leister's athletic achievements are well documented and highly-impressive.

They're especially impressive considering Leister didn't grow up in New York City or Los Angeles or Seattle. He didn't play high school football in hotbed areas like Ohio or Florida. No, Leister went on to do everything he did while playing sports in high school in Great Falls.

And Leister, a self-described Army brat, told members of the MSU-Northern and Havre community that coming out of CMR High School in Great Falls, and specifically getting to play for the legendary Jack Johnson, is exactly why he was in the position he was in Monday afternoon - interviewing for the vacant head football job at Northern.

"I moved around a lot growing up and got to live in a lot of different places," Leister, who is currently the offensive coordinator at NAIA Lindenwood-Belleville said. "But the most fortunate thing to happen to me is when my dad got stationed at Malmstrom (Air Force Base) in Great Falls. There, I got a chance to play for Jack Johnson. He's the reason I've had all the opportunities to do the things I've done in my life, including sitting here today. He pushed me to be better."

Johnson, now retired, is also how Leister found out about the Northern opening.

"My agent in Great Falls (Johnson) called me up and let me know that this is something I need to look into," Leister said with a laugh. "Again, everything goes back to him. I didn't want to leave Montana after high school. But he pushed me to go out and see the world. I was able to go on and play college football and baseball, and eventually play both sports professionally. I was so fortunate to have all of the opportunities I've had, and it all goes back to him as my coach in high school."

Leister wound up making a career out of baseball, including spending two different seasons with the Boston Red Sox. But, elbow surgeries, seven to be exact, eventually forced him out of professional sports, and the next step was a natural fit - coaching.

He coached at Michigan State, where he held several school passing records, while finishing his degree. Then, he moved on to NCAA Division III Alma College, where he spent 23 years coaching football and baseball and serving for a time as the school's athletic director. And he said it was during his time as Alma's AD, at a school where he had so much success, was when he learned exactly what he was meant to do.

"The athletic director thing didn't work out so well," he said, "because I realized, I'm a football coach. That's what I do. It's what I've always been. I love working with kids and helping them succeed. During the time I was away from coaching, even my daughters told me to get back into it. So I tried not being a football coach for a while and it just didn't work out."

And now Leister is highly interested in being the Lights' new head coach. In fact, it's something he's extremely excited about, not only because he loves to coach football, but because he's truly missed Montana.

"The downside to going on and doing everything I was able to do is, I've been fighting to get back here (Montana) ever since," he said. "People don't realize what a treasure this state is until you're not there anymore. I'm one of those people. So I would say to everybody in this room, be thankful for what you have here. It's really special."

As for the football field, Lester's coaching credentials are as good as his athletic resume is. He guided Alma, a private, non-scholarship school in Michigan to a multitude of success during his tenure. He has also had high success as a baseball coach, and brings years of valuable experience from programs he says actually have a lot in common with where the Lights are right now.

"I've kinda been there," Leister said when asked about the challenge of rebuilding the MSU-N program. "I realize that this program is in a hard place right now. But what happened yesterday is yesterday. Let's move forward. Let's work on the little things, the fundamental things we can do to get better every single day, from this point forward. It will take time, it's not a Disney movie. It doesn't happen overnight. It takes hard work and for everybody to buy in.

"So right now, I'm not looking at what's happened here in the past," he continued. "I'd rather focus on being positive and not negative. Let's go work hard, let's be there for the kids, let's help them have success, even if they're just minor victories as we go on. You have to have those for them. Let's make this a place and a program they want to be a part of. Let's get kids that want to be a part of us. Kids who want an education and want to work hard. That's the kind of player I like. Let's do this the right way, and leave all the negatives in the past."

There's no doubt, Leister knows exactly how to do things the right way. He's a true football coach, and one who loves the game, and loves to teach the game. He's all about his players, and he believes in making their experience, on and off the field, the best it can possibly be.

"I'm not a yeller and a screamer," Leister said. "I like to have fun. I enjoy having fun, and I believe it has to be fun for the kids. You have to make this something they want to be a part of, every single day. You have to make them want to be a part of what we do. And then, when they buy in and they believe in each other and believe in themselves, that's when the winning starts. That's where the success comes from. It's really that simple."

And Leister truly believes that Northern can be successful on the football field. He knows what it takes because he's been a part of so many special moments in competition, at CMR, at Michigan State, and in his coaching profession. And he believes Northern can have those same kinds of successes.

"Whether it's me or somebody else, this is a great opportunity," Leister said of the head coaching job at Northern. "Things are in place here. They're already going in the right direction. There's great passion here. I know it can happen here. The great thing about what we do is you always have a chance. Everybody has a chance to succeed, if they work hard and do it the right way.

"Realistically, what should occur here (Northern) is, if you're going to win this conference, you're going to have to beat us. This program should always be able to battle for championships. Every kid who comes here should have a chance to win a conference championship at least once in their four years. That's what I want. I want to put those kids in a position to be successful.

"Things are never perfect, unless you make them perfect," he added. "And I believe we can do that here. We can make this program successful."