Leeland C. Pete[1] (November 14, 1924 – March 25, 2010[2]) was an American sports-talk radio broadcaster. After serving as an Army Air Force pilot in World War II, he played college football as a quarterback at the University of Toledo. Pete also played baseball for the Rockets as an outfielder, and was inducted into the school's Varsity T Hall of Fame in 1986.[3][4] He tried out unsuccessfully with the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL).[2]
In 1954, Pete began his sports radio career at a small station in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. After moving to Las Vegas in 1970,[2] he established a sports talk radio show on KDWN in 1981.[2][5][6] The 50,000-watt station had a night signal that was heard as far north as British Columbia, south to Mexico, east to the Plains, and west to some islands in the Pacific Ocean.[3][7] Pete's Stardust Line show, which ran nightly from 10 until midnight,[8] became the longest-running sports betting show in the history of radio.[3] He also hosted a televised sports handicapping show, Proline, on cable television that was viewed in over 30 million homes.[3][9] Pete finished his career at KRLV, retiring in 2002.[10]
Pete was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's disease, in 2005.[3] He died in Toledo on March 25, 2010. He was 85.[2]