Roundball Recognition
KHS counselor, former OPSU standout, to be inducted into hall of fame
NOW AND THEN — KHS guidance counselor Paula Leffingwell, left, and going up for a goal as an OPSU Aggie standout 30 years ago. [Photos Provided]
Paula Leffingwell is receiving a lofty honor for her collegiate basketball playing career.
Leffingwell will be one of four inductees into the 2021 class of the Oklahoma Panhandle State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
She’ll be joined by Ron Kavanaugh (baseball), Roger McKinnon (golf) and Truman Medders (track).
The 2021 class is the 10 th to be inducted into the athletic hall of fame.
The induction ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15, in the Student Union Ball Room as part of “Hall of Fame Weekend.”
On the afternoon of Oct. 16, the Aggie football team will be hosting Southwestern Assemblies of God (SAGU) of Texas, with a 2 p.m. kickoff.
The 2021 Hall of Fame class (or their representatives) will be recognized in a halftime ceremony.
“I am excited to usher in the 2021 Hall of Fame class,” OPSU Athletic Director Victor Esparza said.
“They are well-deserving individuals that made Panhandle State a better place.”
A Kingfisher High School graduate, Leffingwell was Paula Mueggenborg when she played two seasons of basketball at OPSU in 1989-90 and 1990-91.
“It was a great place to be and it was the right fit for me,” said Leffingwell, now a guidance counselor and testing coordinator at KHS.
“I loved every single minute of my time there.”
In her junior year, she averaged 13.8 points per game and 10.7 rebounds per game.
She dominated even more her senior year by averaging 19.9 points and 17.1 boards a contest.
In 56 games for the Aggies, she had 777 rebounds (13.9 RPG) and scored 943 points in her career (16.8 PPG).
She is a record holder for rebounds for a season (477) as well as a single game (34).
Leffingwell was one rebound shy of an NAIA game record at the time.
She had the opportunity to coach alongside Coach Jerry Olsen after her time on the team.
Leffingwell graduated in 1992 with a bachelor’s degree in English education and an associate’s in health, physical education and recreation.
After graduating and before taking her current position at KHS, she coached basketball at several high schools, including Dover, Elkhart, Yarbrough, Waukomis and Southwest Heights.
Leffingwell also is the author of a children’s book, Cotton Tops on the Farm, illustrated by KHS art teacher Summer Scott, a tribute to her late brother, Rodney Mueggenborg.
Leffingwell and her husband Trevor have two sons, Dawson and Jackson, both KHS graduates.