Veteran coach Frank Leonard joined the Wildcat coaching staff on Jan. 29, 2007, and is in his first season at Kansas State.

A versatile coach with a keen eye for evaluating talent, Leonard has worked at the highest levels of the game during his 26-year career and joins the K-State staff after a three-year stint with the New England Patriots that included a World Championship in Super Bowl XXXIX.

As a special assignment scout with the Pats from 2004-06, Leonard worked closely with the organization’s personnel evaluation of both college and professional players and contributed to many of the team’s player personnel decisions.

Prior to his tenure in New England, Leonard worked 10 seasons on the coaching staff at Richmond, serving as the Spiders’ offensive line (1994, 1997-2003) and running backs coach (1995-96), as well as the program’s recruiting coordinator (2003).

At Richmond, Leonard mentored a number of players who earned All-America honors, including offensive lineman Eric King (1998), who went on to play for the Kansas City Chiefs, and Eric Beatty (2000).

The Spiders also produced unprecedented success as a team during Leonard’s tenure. In just his second season at Richmond, Leonard helped the Spiders to a 7-3-1 record and a No. 20 final ranking. The seven wins were the 10th most in school history and signaled that the program was on the rise.

Three years later, Leonard helped guide Richmond’s 1998 squad to a 9-3 mark, the program’s first Atlantic 10 title, a berth in the NCAA I-AA playoffs and a No. 5 final national ranking.

A second A-10 championship followed in 2000 as the Spiders rolled to a 10-3 record to rack up the most wins in school history. Led by Leonard’s offensive line, Richmond rushed for a school-record 3,369 yards, reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA I-AA playoffs and ended the year with a No. 6 national ranking.

Before arriving at Richmond, Leonard spent four seasons as the outside linebackers coach at the University of Connecticut (1990-93), where he tutored a pair of All-Yankee Conference performers in Bruce Bourgoin and Paul Duckworth.

He also served six seasons as a defensive line coach and then offensive coordinator/offensive line coach at Western Connecticut (1982-84, 1987-89) and two seasons as the defensive line coach at Central Connecticut State (1985-86).

Leonard is a graduate of Central Connecticut State, where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and played football for three seasons. He was also a free safety for the semi-pro New England Crusaders in 1981.

A native of Wethersfield, Conn., Leonard and his wife, Kathy, have two daughters, Maria and Sarah.