Mike Leonard Biography

Fast Facts

• Set a broadcasting record when he filed his 1,000th network story in October 2009
• Was a broadcasting pioneer who, in 1989, became the first only network correspondent to combine all of the different news reporting duties into one job
• Got his first job at PBS and later worked as a sportscaster at another station before being spotted by a "Today" producer
• Was inspired to choose a more creative career path after seeing Bob Dylan in concert, describing the experience as "the first time I ever valued words․"
• Quote: "I am not a hero․ We don't get chances to save someone from drowning or getting them off the ledge․ We don't think of having a heroic life, but sometimes it's just interest or a kind word that can change someone's life․"
• Quote: "Some people say, 'I've never seen you; I've never even heard of you․' And that's fine․ I never hang out with the TV types․ I live in a satellite world because it's better for me and for my family that way․"
• Best known as a former features correspondent for "Today," for which he worked for 32 years
• Wrote the book "The Ride of Our Lives: Roadside Lessons of an American Family" based on a three-month-long trip around the country in a rented RV with his family