Rob Leatham
Encyclopedia
Robert Jennings Leatham also known as "TGO" (a nickname coined by his good friend Brian Enos, it stands for "The Great One" and has since been used by Springfield Armory
on a series of Leatham-inspired pistols) is a successful professional shooter. He is a 24-time USPSA
National champion and 5-time International Practical Shooting Confederation
(IPSC) World Champion.
. From the time he could walk, he always carried a stick with him wherever he went. His mother believes it was his weapon of choice before the introduction to guns.
Leatham developed an interest in firearms at an early age and was fortunate enough to be surrounded by them as he grew up. His earliest childhood memories from the age of five or six entail many weekends that his mom and dad would pack up the family and head to the desert to shoot. Leatham has an older brother, Alan, and two younger siblings, David and sister Susan, and they all spent a substantial portion of their childhood shooting and competing with handgun
s, shotgun
s and rifle
s. While tin cans and paper plates were the standard targets, Leatham was rarely the winner in the family competitions.
On Leatham's twelfth birthday, he received his first gun. His family surprised him with a new Smith & Wesson
Model 34 revolver
on one of their trips to shoot in the desert. As the family desert competitions evolved, Leatham's father designed the five-yard game: if the target was missed you were out, but if you hit it, you moved back five yards and shot again. Whoever got the furthest back, won the game. Leatham would often lose and his mother feels his siblings beat him simply because they tried harder.
Leatham continued desert shooting throughout his teenage years but also became involved in other sports. He wasn't an academic star, but loved to play basketball and compete in track-and-field after school. Leatham fit the profile of an athlete, tall, lean, fit and muscular, but never thought of becoming a professional pistol shooter. He developed a keen interest in racing motorcycles, which continues to this day - he currently owns a Honda
RC30 and has stated he will never sell the bike. Leatham's mother never allowed him to own a motorcycle while living at home, so he moved out after graduation and bought his first street bike.
Following high school, Leatham landed a job with the Arizona Republic, the leading newspaper in the Phoenix
metropolitan area, as an operator in their computer room. At the time, the computer room was a room full of mainframes
that had less computing power than the average PC today. Leatham loved the job, especially when things went wrong, as he loved the challenge and pressure of being under the gun. He worked the second and third shifts which allowed him to practice shooting during daylight hours.
himself, including a custom holster made by local leather worker, Jess Bird, who had built holsters for Leatham's father for many years. Leatham finished third revolver behind Mike Henry and Charlie Mills and cites this competition for causing his addiction to competitive shooting.
Leatham would skip church on Sundays and go to matches at the Cactus Combat Match League in Phoenix
. Soon he was threatening to win every category entered. At those events there were categories for Auto, Revolver, Snubby, Rifle and Shotgun. The Cactus League also had a best-of-the-day competition, that pitted the top revolver shooter against the top auto shooter in a one-on-one shoot-off. This is where Leatham grew to love, and excel at, shoot-offs.
Leatham met Brian Enos in the early 1980s and they began a tight friendship that continues to this day. The two fed off each other, and their love of firearms and the desire to learn drove them to performance levels not previously seen in the sport of shooting. They questioned everything they had been taught about shooting and developed techniques that worked specifically for them, discarding fad and traditional methods. Both Leatham and Enos started trends that, to this day, are considered state-of-the-art. They don't consider themselves to be "form shooters" and Leatham dislikes the concept of "do it this way because I do" that he was originally taught when beginning practical competition.
When Enos returned from a successful Steel Challenge
competition in 1981, Leatham asked him about the match and Enos replied that he didn't feel he (Leatham) would do well, as it was a match which placed more emphasis on accuracy than the IPSC competitions they had been shooting. Up until this point, Leatham had been renowned more for his speed than his accuracy. This angered Leatham and became a turning point because he "wanted to prove [Enos] wrong." The two practiced heavily all year long and went to the 1981 IPSC US
Nationals, Leatham's first big match, where he finished tenth and Enos followed in eleventh. Leatham has attended every US Nationals since.
Leatham first shot the Steel Challenge
and The Bianchi Cup
in 1982. These two events, plus the IPSC US Nationals, were the pinnacle of action shooting. The IPSC principles of diligentia, vis and celeritas (Latin for Accuracy, Power and Speed) had been equally represented in practical shooting. However, the Bianchi Cup and Steel Challenge did not follow these guidelines. Bianchi places all its emphasis on accuracy with comparatively little speed while the Steel Challenge is more about speed with some accuracy. Neither has the power equation factored in. Together, the three principles (accuracy, power, speed) are a good test of everything an action pistol shooter should be. Over the next few years, Leatham shot these the three majors and a host of local events. In 1985, he won the Triple Crown of practical pistol shooting: the IPSC US Nationals, the Bianchi Cup and the Steel Challenge. He is the only competitor to ever win all three matches in the same year.
Leatham quit working at the Arizona Republic newspaper in 1987 to start his firearms training business. With the business and the support of sponsors, he was able to further his career in shooting. In 1989, he was offered a major contract with Springfield Armory
that enabled him to become a full-time, professional shooter. Since that time, Leatham has been practicing, competing, and conducting live-fire demonstrations for sponsors around the world.
Springfield Armory, Inc.
Springfield Armory, Inc. is a firearms manufacturer and importer based in Geneseo, Illinois, founded in 1974. It is one of the largest firearms marketers of imported firearms in the United States and is a four-time recipient of the National Rifle Association Gun of the Year Award.-Formation:After...
on a series of Leatham-inspired pistols) is a successful professional shooter. He is a 24-time USPSA
United States Practical Shooting Association
The United States Practical Shooting Association, or USPSA, is the national governing body of one form of Practical shooting in the United States, and is the US Region of the International Practical Shooting Confederation...
National champion and 5-time International Practical Shooting Confederation
International Practical Shooting Confederation
The International Practical Shooting Confederation is a shooting sport based on the concept of practical shooting. Accuracy, power and speed are all required to achieve a maximum score.-Founding and organization:...
(IPSC) World Champion.
Biography
Leatham was born to parents Nyle and Carol at the Southside Hospital in Mesa, ArizonaMesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
. From the time he could walk, he always carried a stick with him wherever he went. His mother believes it was his weapon of choice before the introduction to guns.
Leatham developed an interest in firearms at an early age and was fortunate enough to be surrounded by them as he grew up. His earliest childhood memories from the age of five or six entail many weekends that his mom and dad would pack up the family and head to the desert to shoot. Leatham has an older brother, Alan, and two younger siblings, David and sister Susan, and they all spent a substantial portion of their childhood shooting and competing with handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
s, shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
s and rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s. While tin cans and paper plates were the standard targets, Leatham was rarely the winner in the family competitions.
On Leatham's twelfth birthday, he received his first gun. His family surprised him with a new Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. The corporate headquarters is in Springfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson's pistols and revolvers have become standard issue to police and armed forces throughout the world...
Model 34 revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
on one of their trips to shoot in the desert. As the family desert competitions evolved, Leatham's father designed the five-yard game: if the target was missed you were out, but if you hit it, you moved back five yards and shot again. Whoever got the furthest back, won the game. Leatham would often lose and his mother feels his siblings beat him simply because they tried harder.
Leatham continued desert shooting throughout his teenage years but also became involved in other sports. He wasn't an academic star, but loved to play basketball and compete in track-and-field after school. Leatham fit the profile of an athlete, tall, lean, fit and muscular, but never thought of becoming a professional pistol shooter. He developed a keen interest in racing motorcycles, which continues to this day - he currently owns a Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
RC30 and has stated he will never sell the bike. Leatham's mother never allowed him to own a motorcycle while living at home, so he moved out after graduation and bought his first street bike.
Following high school, Leatham landed a job with the Arizona Republic, the leading newspaper in the Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
metropolitan area, as an operator in their computer room. At the time, the computer room was a room full of mainframes
Mainframe computer
Mainframes are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.The term originally referred to the...
that had less computing power than the average PC today. Leatham loved the job, especially when things went wrong, as he loved the challenge and pressure of being under the gun. He worked the second and third shifts which allowed him to practice shooting during daylight hours.
Competition shooting
Leatham's first competition took place in the late 1970s at a night shoot at the Mesa Police Department range. He shot a Smith & Wesson Model 27 revolver with a 6-inch barrel loaded with 200-grain round-nose bullets that Leatham loadedHandloading
Handloading or reloading is the process of loading firearm cartridges or shotgun shells by assembling the individual components , rather than purchasing completely assembled, factory-loaded cartridges...
himself, including a custom holster made by local leather worker, Jess Bird, who had built holsters for Leatham's father for many years. Leatham finished third revolver behind Mike Henry and Charlie Mills and cites this competition for causing his addiction to competitive shooting.
Leatham would skip church on Sundays and go to matches at the Cactus Combat Match League in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. Soon he was threatening to win every category entered. At those events there were categories for Auto, Revolver, Snubby, Rifle and Shotgun. The Cactus League also had a best-of-the-day competition, that pitted the top revolver shooter against the top auto shooter in a one-on-one shoot-off. This is where Leatham grew to love, and excel at, shoot-offs.
Leatham met Brian Enos in the early 1980s and they began a tight friendship that continues to this day. The two fed off each other, and their love of firearms and the desire to learn drove them to performance levels not previously seen in the sport of shooting. They questioned everything they had been taught about shooting and developed techniques that worked specifically for them, discarding fad and traditional methods. Both Leatham and Enos started trends that, to this day, are considered state-of-the-art. They don't consider themselves to be "form shooters" and Leatham dislikes the concept of "do it this way because I do" that he was originally taught when beginning practical competition.
When Enos returned from a successful Steel Challenge
Steel Challenge
The Steel Challenge is a speed shooting championship and governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association . The competition was founded by Mike Dalton and Mike Fichman. The targets, made of steel, range in size from 10" round plates to 18"x24" square plates...
competition in 1981, Leatham asked him about the match and Enos replied that he didn't feel he (Leatham) would do well, as it was a match which placed more emphasis on accuracy than the IPSC competitions they had been shooting. Up until this point, Leatham had been renowned more for his speed than his accuracy. This angered Leatham and became a turning point because he "wanted to prove [Enos] wrong." The two practiced heavily all year long and went to the 1981 IPSC US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Nationals, Leatham's first big match, where he finished tenth and Enos followed in eleventh. Leatham has attended every US Nationals since.
Leatham first shot the Steel Challenge
Steel Challenge
The Steel Challenge is a speed shooting championship and governed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association . The competition was founded by Mike Dalton and Mike Fichman. The targets, made of steel, range in size from 10" round plates to 18"x24" square plates...
and The Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup
The Bianchi Cup is the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, a major Action Pistol tournament held over three days in late May, in Columbia, Missouri at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club. It has the largest purse of any tournament on the action pistol calendar and is the premier action...
in 1982. These two events, plus the IPSC US Nationals, were the pinnacle of action shooting. The IPSC principles of diligentia, vis and celeritas (Latin for Accuracy, Power and Speed) had been equally represented in practical shooting. However, the Bianchi Cup and Steel Challenge did not follow these guidelines. Bianchi places all its emphasis on accuracy with comparatively little speed while the Steel Challenge is more about speed with some accuracy. Neither has the power equation factored in. Together, the three principles (accuracy, power, speed) are a good test of everything an action pistol shooter should be. Over the next few years, Leatham shot these the three majors and a host of local events. In 1985, he won the Triple Crown of practical pistol shooting: the IPSC US Nationals, the Bianchi Cup and the Steel Challenge. He is the only competitor to ever win all three matches in the same year.
Leatham quit working at the Arizona Republic newspaper in 1987 to start his firearms training business. With the business and the support of sponsors, he was able to further his career in shooting. In 1989, he was offered a major contract with Springfield Armory
Springfield Armory, Inc.
Springfield Armory, Inc. is a firearms manufacturer and importer based in Geneseo, Illinois, founded in 1974. It is one of the largest firearms marketers of imported firearms in the United States and is a four-time recipient of the National Rifle Association Gun of the Year Award.-Formation:After...
that enabled him to become a full-time, professional shooter. Since that time, Leatham has been practicing, competing, and conducting live-fire demonstrations for sponsors around the world.
Personal Life
Leatham married fellow Team Springfield member Kippi Boykin, a three-time USPSA National Champion. They have one daughter together, Patience Leatham, and Leatham has 2 sons, Robert and Thomas, from a previous marriage.Titles
- 24-Time USPSA National Champion: 1983–1986, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002 (Limited), 2002 (Limited-10), 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 (Single-Stack and Production), 2007 (Single-Stack and Limited), 2008 (Single-Stack), 2009 (Single-Stack), 2010 (Single-Stack)
- 5-Time IPSC World Champion as a member of 7-time winning "Team USA":
- 1983 - Virginia, USA
- 1986 - Florida, USA
- 1988 - Caracas, Venezuela,
- 2002 - Pietersburg, South Africa
- 2005 - Guayaquil, Ecuador
- 16-Time Single Stack Classic Champion: 1995–2010
- 7-Time Steel Challenge Champion: 1985, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002 (Limited), 2002 (Open), 2009 (Production)
- 6-Time IDPA Custom Defensive Pistol (CDP) National Champion: 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2004
- 7-Time NRA Bianchi CupThe Bianchi CupThe Bianchi Cup is the NRA National Action Pistol Championship, a major Action Pistol tournament held over three days in late May, in Columbia, Missouri at the Green Valley Rifle & Pistol Club. It has the largest purse of any tournament on the action pistol calendar and is the premier action...
Champion: 1985, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
- 3-Time American HandgunnerAmerican HandgunnerAmerican Handgunner is a magazine dedicated to handguns, handgun hunting, competition shooting, reloading, tactical knives and other shooting-related activities in the United States...
World Shootoff Champion: 1996, 2003, 2004
- Triple Crown Winner: 1985 (Bianchi Cup, Steel Challenge, and the IPSC/USPSA Nationals) - Leatham is the only person to ever achieve this
- Captain, Team Springfield: Since its inception in 1985