INDIANAPOLIS–The woman known as the Matriach of the Indiana Pacers, Nancy Leonard, has died.

Leonard’s children said Nancy died Tuesday night peacefully in her sleep after her health had been declining in recent months. She was 93 years old.

From 1976 to 1980, Pacer Head Coach Bobby “Slick” Leonard also served as general manager, where he worked in tandem with Nancy. Nancy handled the administrative duties as assistant general manager. However, the Pacers were nearly gutted in order to meet the financial burdens imposed by the ABA/NBA merger.

By 1977, the team was on the brink of leaving Indianapolis. To prevent that, they needed to sell 8,000 season tickets to raise $2 million. It was Nancy Leonard who came up with the idea for a telethon that she and Bobby would participate in; the “S

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