The name "Leon" comes from the Greek word λέων, meaning "lion." It evokes a sense of strength and nobility. Standing at 6-foot-6 and owning multiple Ouachita and Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference basketball records, Leon Clements lived up to his name in more ways than one.

Born Aug. 24, 1943, in San Diego, California, Clements called Kingsland, Arkansas – the birthplace of music legend Johnny Cash – his hometown. Upon graduating from Kingsland High School, Clements made the one-hour trip west to Arkadelphia to play basketball for Coach Bill Vining at Ouachita. Per Jeremy Muck of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Coach Vining and his staff quickly worked on developing their freshman center's jump shot and post play during the fall of 1961. Clements started games in his first year on campus, earning a spot on the All-AIC Honorable Mention Team.

A sophomore slump was not in the cards for Clements, who scored more than 650 points for the first of three times in his collegiate career during the 1962-1963 season. No other Tiger player has accomplished the feat more than once. The Ouachita center helped his team win its first conference title in nearly 20 years, and he was rewarded with First Team All-AIC recognition.

Junior year proved to be more of the same, with Clements repeating as a First Team All-AIC honoree after adding 677 points, 321 rebounds and another AIC championship to his resume. The following season, however, both the Tigers and their star player took their game to new heights.

During the 1964-1965 campaign, Ouachita went 27-10, including a 9-1 mark in postseason play. The Tigers survived a four-game gauntlet against in-state rivals to win the AIC Invitational Tournament, later besting Arkansas State Teachers College (Central Arkansas) in the NAIA District 17 Championship to claim a bid to the national tournament. Ouachita had never made it past the first round before. This time, however, the Tigers marched all the way to the semifinals and secured a consolation game victory over Fairmont State to finish third in the country. 

Clements played a major role in Ouachita's success, taking home Second Team All-NAIA National Tournament honors. He completed his senior year with 964 season points and 2,536 career points – both AIC records that stood for the remainder of the conference's existence. More than three decades after the AIC's disbandment, Clements' scoring totals still stand as Tiger records, with his single-season (452) and career (1,320) rebounding numbers also persisting as high marks in program history. The center's unprecedented efforts were met with an unprecedented achievement as, on top of a third consecutive First Team All-AIC nod, Clements became Ouachita's first basketball All-American with a First Team NAIA All-America selection in 1965.

Clements passed away in his native Kingsland in 2005 after a successful career as a contractor and banking real estate executive. Over 20 years later, his legacy continues to be honored in the NAIA Hall of Fame (1977 inductee), Ouachita Athletics Hall of Fame (2003 inductee) and Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame (2015 inductee).