Mansfield Athletics

Native of Elmira, N.Y., Lenny was the first great African American Mountaineer football player, earning a position on the starting offensive line from 1961-64. During his senior season in 1964, Givens was the only Mountaineer player, and Mansfield's first black football player to earn All-PSAC honors in an era when the All-PSAC team was selected from all the teams in the conference, not just on a divisional format.

Lenny, a 205-pound senior, was the leader on the offense and defensive line that was a key component of the success Mansfield State achieved in '64 that led them to a 3rd-place finish in the highly talented State Conference.

Givens played for Head Coach Ed Stelmack in 1961, where he helped lead the Mounties to a 4-4 record before finishing his career under the leaderships of Bob Moore, where the Mountaineers achieved a .500 record in two of his final three seasons.

Givens was also a standout on the baseball field all four years he attended Mansfield starting as a catcher, outfielder, and pitcher.

After graduating in 1965, Givens went on to earn his law degree from Howard University in 1971. Givens has enjoyed an exceptional career as a lawyer in Detroit specializing in labor law and continues to be highly respected and recognized as jurist as well as for his civic contributions to this day.