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Ervin "Lightning" Leavy to be Honored Prior to Saturday's Toilet Paper Toss Game
1/28/2026 1:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
“Lightning” Ervin Leavy and “Thunder” Dan Majerle formed Central Michigan’s famed 1-2 punch that helped guide the Chippewas to the 1987 MAC regular season and tournament titles, and NCAA Tournament berth.
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Former Central Michigan men's basketball player Ervin Leavy (1985-87) will be honored prior to Saturday's Toilet Paper Toss game. On Saturday night during pre-game, Leavy (pronounced Lee-Vee) and current center Nathan Claerbaut will trigger the Toilet Paper Toss throw at approximately 6:45 p.m. ET. The Chippewas are hosting the annual Toilet Paper Toss for the fourth consecutive season.
Nicknamed "Lightning," Leavy formed Central Michigan's famed 1-2 scoring punch with "Thunder" Dan Majerle that led the Chippewas to the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament in 1986-87. The nickname was given to the duo by Central Michigan's student newspaper CMLife.
Known for his outstanding scoring and shooting ability, Leavy played two years for Central Michigan after transferring from Mott Community College. His career 17.6 points per game average still ranks No. 4 in school history and his 1,003 points scored ranks No. 35. He is one of 36 players to score over 1,000 career points and is one of only two players in school history to score over 1,000 points in only two years played at Central Michigan.
A two-time All-MAC honoree for CMU coach Charlie Coles, Leavy saw action in 57 career games with 56 starts at guard. He scored 1,003 points, grabbed 220 rebounds, dished out 107 assists, had 47 steals, and shot 51.0 percent (434-851) from the floor, 37.3 percent (28-75) from 3-point range, and 71.8 percent on free throws (107-149). During his second season in 1986-87, the NCAA introduced the 3-point line and made he 28 of 75 attempts.
As a Second Team All-MAC honoree in 1985-86, Leavy joined Majerle in leading the improving Chippewas to an 11-17 overall record and sixth place finish in the MAC with a 7-11 record. Leavy led the team in minutes per game (33.7) and field goal percentage (52.8), and ranked second on the squad in scoring (18.6 ppg.) and assists (53).
By the time the 1986-87 season rolled around, the Chippewas were a league championship contender. Leavy was a First Team All-MAC selection, MAC All-Tournament Team pick, and team captain after averaging 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Central Michigan went on to claim the MAC regular season title with a 14-2 league record, win the MAC Tournament with an 80-76 victory over Eastern Michigan and a 64-63 championship game win vs. Kent State, and appear in the NCAA Tournament where it dropped a 92-73 first round decision to UCLA.
Following his Central Michigan career, Leavy was selected in the seventh round of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls with the No. 148 pick. Upon his arrival in Chicago, one of his practice duties was to guard Michael Jordan. He is one of 14 Central Michigan Chippewas to be drafted by an NBA team.
A Flint native, Leavy played his high school basketball for Hall of Fame coach Stan Gooch at Flint Central. In the 1983 state title game against Detroit Southwestern, Leavy scored 21 points to help the team win the Class A state championship. A self-proclaimed late-bloomer, Leavy went to Mott C.C. and led the school to back-to-back junior college national title games with a 1985 national championship. He ended up being recruited by Central Michigan, Detroit, Michigan State, Iowa, and Connecticut out of Mott, and chose Central Michigan because of Coles, who came to CMU after serving as an assistant at Detroit from 1982-85.
Leavy currently works at the University of Michigan-Flint as its Assistant Director of Facilities Operations and Risk Management at the UM-Flint Recreation Center. He is the director of intramural sports and student development and is an adjunct lecturer with public health services. Leavy earned his bachelor's degree from Central Michigan and went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Technology in Education from UM-Flint in 2011.
Leavy was inducted into the Greater Flint Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
Nicknamed "Lightning," Leavy formed Central Michigan's famed 1-2 scoring punch with "Thunder" Dan Majerle that led the Chippewas to the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament in 1986-87. The nickname was given to the duo by Central Michigan's student newspaper CMLife.
Known for his outstanding scoring and shooting ability, Leavy played two years for Central Michigan after transferring from Mott Community College. His career 17.6 points per game average still ranks No. 4 in school history and his 1,003 points scored ranks No. 35. He is one of 36 players to score over 1,000 career points and is one of only two players in school history to score over 1,000 points in only two years played at Central Michigan.
A two-time All-MAC honoree for CMU coach Charlie Coles, Leavy saw action in 57 career games with 56 starts at guard. He scored 1,003 points, grabbed 220 rebounds, dished out 107 assists, had 47 steals, and shot 51.0 percent (434-851) from the floor, 37.3 percent (28-75) from 3-point range, and 71.8 percent on free throws (107-149). During his second season in 1986-87, the NCAA introduced the 3-point line and made he 28 of 75 attempts.
As a Second Team All-MAC honoree in 1985-86, Leavy joined Majerle in leading the improving Chippewas to an 11-17 overall record and sixth place finish in the MAC with a 7-11 record. Leavy led the team in minutes per game (33.7) and field goal percentage (52.8), and ranked second on the squad in scoring (18.6 ppg.) and assists (53).
By the time the 1986-87 season rolled around, the Chippewas were a league championship contender. Leavy was a First Team All-MAC selection, MAC All-Tournament Team pick, and team captain after averaging 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Central Michigan went on to claim the MAC regular season title with a 14-2 league record, win the MAC Tournament with an 80-76 victory over Eastern Michigan and a 64-63 championship game win vs. Kent State, and appear in the NCAA Tournament where it dropped a 92-73 first round decision to UCLA.
Following his Central Michigan career, Leavy was selected in the seventh round of the 1987 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls with the No. 148 pick. Upon his arrival in Chicago, one of his practice duties was to guard Michael Jordan. He is one of 14 Central Michigan Chippewas to be drafted by an NBA team.
A Flint native, Leavy played his high school basketball for Hall of Fame coach Stan Gooch at Flint Central. In the 1983 state title game against Detroit Southwestern, Leavy scored 21 points to help the team win the Class A state championship. A self-proclaimed late-bloomer, Leavy went to Mott C.C. and led the school to back-to-back junior college national title games with a 1985 national championship. He ended up being recruited by Central Michigan, Detroit, Michigan State, Iowa, and Connecticut out of Mott, and chose Central Michigan because of Coles, who came to CMU after serving as an assistant at Detroit from 1982-85.
Leavy currently works at the University of Michigan-Flint as its Assistant Director of Facilities Operations and Risk Management at the UM-Flint Recreation Center. He is the director of intramural sports and student development and is an adjunct lecturer with public health services. Leavy earned his bachelor's degree from Central Michigan and went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Technology in Education from UM-Flint in 2011.
Leavy was inducted into the Greater Flint Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.
—CMU—
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