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Robert Jennings Leatham was born to Nyle and Carol
Leatham on January 27, 1961, at the Southside Hospital in Mesa, Arizona. It was a cold, rainy afternoon when Carol went into labor (she thought
she just had a stomach ache), yet the warmth that filled her hospital
room later that night when Rob was born was overwhelming.
"When I brought Rob home from the hospital, Rob's older brother, Alan,
was not sure what to think. Alan wouldn't hug or look at me. He
walked around me in circles as I sat on the floor with Rob, waiting for
some recognition. Alan didn't understand what was so special about
this 7-pound, 9-ounce blob of a baby. As a matter of fact, no one
in the room knew just how special the baby really was …"
Carol Leatham
From the time Rob could walk, his mom remembers that he
always carried a stick. Wherever he went, whatever he did, he was
accompanied by a stick. She thinks it was his weapon of choice before
the guns were introduced!
Rob developed an interest in firearms at an early age, and, as he grew
up, he was fortunate enough to be surrounded by the thing he had come to
love most - guns. He doesn't remember NOT shooting. His earliest
childhood memories are from the age of 5 or 6, and they entail the many
weekends that his mom and dad would pack up the family, dogs included,
and head to the desert to shoot. At this point, Rob had another brother,
David, and a new little sister, Susan, and they all spent a good portion
of their childhood shooting and competing in the beautiful Arizona Sonoran Desert with handguns, shotguns and rifles of every sort. Tin
cans and paper plates were the preferred targets. Amazingly enough,
though, Rob was very seldom the winner in the family battles!
On Rob's 12th birthday, he got his very first gun. The family had gone
out to the desert where Rob opened the Smith & Wesson Model 34 revolver. Nyle and Carol will never forget the look on his face. He was definitely
surprised and he definitely loved it! Brian Enos may even have a
picture of this commemorative event on his web site!
The family desert competitions evolved. Nyle designed the 5-yard game.
Once you missed your target you were out, but if you hit it, you would
move back five yards and shoot again. Whoever got the furthest, won the
game. This was one of the games that Rob often lost and Carol thinks his
siblings beat him because they just tried harder! Rob would soon learn,
though, how valuable it was to practice and apply oneself.
Rob continued desert plinking through his teenage years, but became very
involved in other activities. Rob wasn't an academic star, but he loved
the after-school activities of basketball and track. He was an athlete,
for sure, tall, lean, fit and muscular, but he never dreamed he would
become a professional pistol shooter. Rob also developed an interest in
motorcycles, which continues to this day. His mom never let him own a
bike while living under her roof, so when Rob moved out after
graduation, he bought his first street bike.
After high school, Rob got a job with the Arizona Republic, the leading
newspaper in the Phoenix metropolitan area. He worked in the computer
room as a lowly operator. This was at a time when a room full of
mainframes had less computing power than your home PC does now. He loved
the job though, especially when things went wrong, as he loved the
challenge of time deadlines and the pressure of being 'under the gun.' He was able to work the second and third shifts, which allowed him to
practice in the daylight hours.
Rob quit his newspaper job in 1987 to start his firearms training
business. With this and the support he was receiving from sponsors, he
was able to make ends meet. Thankfully, in 1989, Rob was
offered a major contract with Springfield Armory that enabled him to
become a full-time, professional shooter. He has been practicing,
competing, traveling the world and conducting live-fire demonstrations
for sponsors ever since! He's one of a select group of people
who get to do what they love for a living (thanks to his employer
and sponsors).
Be sure to visit the Special People Page for comments from Rob about his
sponsors and friends.
To check Rob's schedule, check out Rob's
Calendar Page.
For a chronology of Rob's shooting career, go to the
Shooting History
Page.
To get an overview of his accomplishments, go to the
Shooting Resume
Page.
For a list and photos of his competition equipment and firearms, visit the
Gun Vault Page. |
