University of Minnesota Athletics
Len Levine - M Club Hall of Fame
Len Levine
Lifetime Achievement Award
HOF Class of 2001
A graduate of St. Paul’s Humboldt High School, Len Levine starred on the Golden Gopher track and field team from 1958 to 1961, setting several records including a 60-yard dash mark that stood for 17 years.
He won the silver medal in the 1960 Big Ten 300-yard dash championship, edging a record set more than 25 years earlier by Jesse Owens. Levine was also a member of the 1960 one-mile relay team that set a school record good for six years.
After graduating from the University, Levine taught and coached at the high school level in the Twin Cities, earning St. Paul Teacher of the Year honors in 1967. In 1970 he was elected to the first of his seven terms on the St. Paul City Council. In 1983 he became the Minnesota Commissioner of Human Services and four years later became Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation, again for four years.
In 1991, he became president of Leonard W. Levine & Associates, a national management consulting group, and continued his active involvement in civic and community activities, including the American Cancer Society, American Lung Association, and American Diabetes Association.