Once a Raider, always a Raider.
No one embodies this phrase more than coach Leslie Broadhurst, who passed away at age 65 on Monday after fighting brain cancer.
Broadhurst leaves a rich legacy. He became Randall’s first head boys basketball coach when the school opened in 1988.
Before he officially held the title of Randall’s first head basketball coach, he showed commitment to the school, hoping to be one of the first Raiders. He said at his gym dedication on April 22 that he called the Canyon ISD athletic director at the time every day asking to be considered for the job. And while the school was being built, he drove from Borger every day to watch the progress.
That perseverance paid off.
“When Randall opened we had no history,” coach Rebekah James said. “All the people on the first staff helped mold Randall into what it has become. Broadhurst being the only head basketball coach through all those years helped mold the Raider soul and what we stand for.”
Broadhurst continued to be Randall’s first and only boys basketball coach until he retired in May. Of his 42 years in education, 36 of them were spent as a Randall Raider. Paraprofessional Eva Whittington said she remembers him running his PE class with the “precision and energy of a military drill.”
“Watching him bring students into the game, building teams, and instilling teamwork on the court showcased his passion for teaching,” Whittington said. “It was clear from the way his students looked up to him that he had earned their respect, not through sternness, but through the joy he found in coaching.”
His Honors PE class is famous in its own right. According to associate principal Travis Willard, Broadhurst told those students that they were chosen specifically for the class because they were “the best of the best.”
“I had always heard of the famous ‘Honors PE’ and wondered how it could possibly be,” transition specialist Elise Rhodes said. “When I returned to Randall and saw it listed as such on the master schedule, I could only laugh. I got to visit that class checking on my kiddos on several occasions and it truly was an Honors PE.”
The basketball program made two state tournament appearances under his leadership in 2023 and 2024. Former basketball player KJ Thomas, class of 2024, said Broadhurst positively impacted many lives.
“The way he lived his life was a great example for me,” Thomas said. “I looked up to him. His legacy is something that will live on forever.”
People in the Randall community describe Broadhurst as an incredible storyteller and a man of faith with an infectious laugh, smile and energy.
“Coach Broadhurst was that person, the one you can count on and the kind of man that made you want to be a part of something,” principal Steven Singleton said. “The most important aspect in education, in life and in faith is the relationships you build. The relationships that Coach created were contagious and spread throughout our community.”
His name is on the gym floor. His championships hang on the walls. His name is written into the Hall of Fame. His legacy will not be forgotten at Randall High School.
“His impact is within the bricks and mortar of the school,” behavior facilitator Bobbi McAlister said. “He was a mentor, an idol, someone my classmates looked up to and someone our students looked up to. Everywhere you turn in RHS, Coach is there. He was and always will be the embodiment of Raider Pride.”
Memorials can be made to:
The Leslie Broadhurst Memorial Scholarship Fund
℅ Opportunity Plan, Inc.
PO Box 1035, Canyon, Texas 79015
or online at: www.opportunityplan.com/broadhurst
