Leonard Rivers

Leonard (Len) C. Rivers, 91, passed away on March 16th, 2026, in Plainsboro, NJ. A distinguished educator, coach and community leader, his lifelong commitment to athletics, mentorship and service has left a lasting impact across high school, collegiate and professional sports.

A native of Princeton, Len liked to say that he was born on a tabletop in the house his grandfather built in Little Rocky Hill, NJ. He fondly remembered these early years living with his grandparents, cousins and chickens and attending school at a one-room schoolhouse in Kingston. Later he joined his brother, mother and father in Princeton, where he attended the segregated Witherspoon School. 

Following his graduation from Princeton High School in 1951, Len received a BA in Physical Education from Springfield College in Springfield, MA. While at Springfield, he was co-captain of the wrestling team, played football and track, and as a champion, nearly qualified for the US Olympic team.

After Springfield, Len served two years in the US Army and played football for the team where he was stationed. He also served one Summer as a Camp Counselor at Camp Half Moon Great Barrington, MA.

In 1957, Len moved to Stamford, CT to launch his career combining education and athletics. There, he helped startup their local Pop Warner Midget football league and founded a Bantam division. He also coached and officiated for the local Babe Ruth youth baseball league. In 1959, he became the Physical Director of the local YMCA. There, he taught many sports and even mentored a team that won a national competition in 1962. After receiving his Teacher Certificate, he was hired in 1967 by Stamford Catholic High School where he coached multiple sports and started their first swimming and gymnastics programs.

The 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. led Len to reevaluate his purpose in life. He referred to his life as having a “before” and “after” and used that event to mark the moment when he shaped his life around being of service to others. He saw the world through a searching lens that sought out members of the community who believed he had been overlooked or misunderstood. 

Len left his teaching and coaching position at Stamford Catholic High School to become director of a youth work training program in the Department of Community Affairs in Hartford, CT. He ran for political office and organized a coalition that led to an increase of affordable housing in Stamford. During those years of public service, Len was recognized multiple times by the community for his efforts. 

In 1970, Len returned to coaching as Offensive Line Coach for the University of Connecticut football team. In 1973, He returned to Princeton where he coached football and was also the Head Baseball Coach at Princeton University. In 1980, he left Princeton to become the Head Football Coach at Franklin High School. In 1984, and again in 1987, Franklin won state football championships and in 1984 the Newark Star Ledger awarded him the New Jersey Coach of the Year. In 1989, Len left Franklin to join the New Jersey Nets professional basketball team as their Director of Speaker’s Bureau. While at the Nets, he was then promoted to Director of Community Relations and established their first ever Academic Awareness youth program.

Len then completed his coaching career as a coach and Athletic Director at Lakewood High School. Upon his retirement from coaching, in 1998 the National Collegiate Hall of Fame awarded him a Distinguished American Award and in 2017, he was inducted into the Franklin High School Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Deeply generous in spirit, life for Len required him to reach out within his community and share with them the message imparted to him by his deeply religious family. Things happen to us that we don’t understand. But no matter what they are, it is going to be okay. Infuse your spirit with that love and understanding. Surround yourself with the joy in seeing the best in others and opening the eyes of our youth to see the best in themselves.

Len was preceded in death by his parents, Robert J. Rivers, Sr. and Hazel L. Rivers and by his niece Ayanna M. Dunson. He is survived by his brother Dr. Robert J. Rivers, Jr. (Ruth), his two sisters Nancy R. Dunson (Bruce) and Evelyn S. Miller, and many nieces and nephews: Michael B. Rivers (Sarah Stair), Scott A. Rivers, Wendy M. Rivers (Eddy Anglade), Robert D. Rivers, Naomi A. Dunson, Julius A. Miller and Travis R. Dunson.

He will be fondly remembered by many friends, acquaintances, coaches, teammates, athletes, students and coworkers.

A Funeral Service will be held at the First Baptist Church in Princeton, NJ on April 6th, 2026. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the “Franklin NJ Warrior for Life Scholarship Fund” at Franklin High School at P.O. Box 5336, Somerset, NJ 08875, USA or www.warrior4life.org.

Funeral service will be 12pm Monday, April 6, 2026 at First Baptist Church of Princeton, 119 John Street, Princeton, NJ 08542. Calling hour will be 11am until the time of service at the church. Interment will be at Franklin Memorial Park, North Brunswick, NJ.  

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