What was Anthony 'Buckie' Leach's net worth? USA fencing coach dies at 62 in motorcycle crash
Longtime Team USA Fencing women's foil coach Anthony ‘Buckie’ Leach died on Saturday, August 14. He was 62 at the time of his death. This tragic incident comes just days after Leach led the US women's foil team to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
The former University of Notre Dame fencing assistant coach -- Leach led his team to three NCAA and ACC championships each -- died in a motorcycle accident on August 14 during a cross-country road trip. “I am devastated to learn of the tragic passing of my dear friend Buckie Leach, who was taken from us far too soon,” said Notre Dame's head fencing coach Gia Kvaratskhelia in a statement on Monday, August 16.
READ MORE
From Olympics to K-pop: Jackson Wang goes back to his roots with Tokyo Games promo
Who is JaVale McGee's mother Pamela? Only mother-son duo to win gold in Olympics history
“Buckie’s legacy at Notre Dame and within American fencing stretch far beyond the athletic accomplishments of the fencers and teams that he coached,” said Kvaratskhelia. “Rather, his enduring memory will be of the incredible person that he was -- his kindness, his passion, his sense of humor, and the genuine way he brightened the lives of everyone who was fortunate enough to know him.”
The Notre Dame team said in a statement, “The Notre Dame Fencing Family is heartbroken over the tragic passing of Buckie Leach. Buckie was our coach for five wonderful seasons. In that short time, he helped us win three NCAA team titles, three ACC team titles, five individual NCAA championships, and 20 All-Americans. But more important than all of these was how Buckie gave so richly and deeply of himself as a teacher, a coach, a leader, and a person. Every day he was with us, his kindness, decency, and humanity made us all better.”
USA Fencing said in a statement, "Our hearts are broken at the loss of U.S. Women’s Foil Team coach Buckie Leach just two weeks after leading the squad at his fifth Olympic Games." The statement also said, "It was his heart, passion, and laughter that made Buckie one of the most beloved coaches in the sport. Our thoughts are with Buckie’s family as well as the entire fencing community."
Other fencers paid their tributes as well. Jackie Dubrovich called Leach a "fearless" and "compassionate leader." She said on an Instagram story, "My heart hurts so much right now. The mark you've made on so many people's lives will forever live on. We love you, Buckie."
Brian Kaneshige wrote, “When I would cry during my lessons, you used to always tell me, ‘If you don't stop crying, I'm gonna give you something to cry about!’ 20 years later, I can't stop crying because you're gone. You really gave me something good to cry about, didn't you! But the more I think about it, the more I realize that you're not gone at all. You're still here in all of us who crossed paths with you; in all of us who were blessed (and occasionally cursed!) to have been your student; in all of us who were fortunate enough to have worked alongside you.”
What was Anthony ‘Buckie’ Leach’s net worth?
Leach guided three-time Olympian and 2021 individual Olympic champion Lee Kiefer to her fourth individual national title in 2017 and Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Nick Itkin to his first two individual titles in 2018 and 2019.
Leach was inducted into the US Fencing Hall of Fame in 2013 and has been the US National Women’s Foil Coach in four Olympic Games -- 1996, 2000, 2004, 2016, and the 2021 games in Tokyo. During this Olympic cycle, US women foilists earned 11 individual and six team medals in international competitions.
Leach, from 1981 to 2001, built the Rochester (N.Y.) Fencing Centre into a national powerhouse, placing more athletes onto US National and Olympic Teams during that time frame. In 2001, he moved to New York City’s famous Fencers Club and continued to develop national-caliber fencers.
While information regarding his assets and salary over the years are not available online, Biography Daily puts the hall-of-fame coach's net worth somewhere between $2 million and $4 million. But MEAWW has not been able to independently verify this. Leach, a native of Mt. Sinai, New York, is survived by his sister, Kathy.