PISCATAWAY, N.J. – One of the most recognizable Rutgers football players during head coach Greg Schiano’s first tenure “On the Banks,” Brian Leonard played running back and fullback for the Scarlet Knights from 2003-06. A 2016 Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Leonard was a three-time All-American and recipient of the 2006 Draddy Trophy (now known as the William V. Campbell Trophy), awarded to college football's top scholar athlete.

Leonard produced 678 carries for 2,775 yards and 32 rushing touchdowns to go along with 207 catches for 1,868 yards and 13 scoring receptions in 47 career games at RU. Leonard’s 207 career receptions ranks second all-time in Rutgers' record book, as the Gouverneur, New York, native also finished within the top-10 in rushing touchdowns with 32 (T-third) and 272 points accounted for (fourth).

Leonard was drafted is the second round (52nd overall) by the then-St. Louis Rams and enjoyed an eight-year NFL career from 2007-14. After his retirement from professional football, Leonard took on a new challenge – real estate. Along with his business partner, Anthony Scandariato, Leonard started Red Knight Properties, which specializes in acquiring multi-family properties. The company quickly grew and now manages close to 300 properties throughout the area.

ScarletKnights.com caught up with Leonard, who updated us on his current professional pursuits, reflected on his time at Rutgers and provided some of his favorite memories of playing for Schiano.

ScarletKnights.com: What are you up to now in your professional life?
Brian Leonard: After I retired from football, I was able to be a stay-at-home dad for two years, which was great. I’ve always been interested in real estate, so I started to look into that, found a partner who knew a lot about it, especially in multi-family properties, and we started a company in 2018 called Red Knight Properties. My business partner [Anthony Scandariato] went to Cornell, and obviously I’m a Scarlet Knight, so it made sense to call it Red Knight Properties. 

Through our company, we acquire B and C-class properties that are undervalued and below market so we can go in, make some capital improves, change the perception of the property and increase the net property income and its overall value. We’re at the point now where we are growing quickly. We have almost 300 units now and we began to syndicate deals to bring in investors and produce great returns.

SK.com: How did your time at Rutgers help you towards this next step in your professional life?
BL: Just the hard work and discipline, all of those things coach Schiano instilled in us. When it came to learning real estate, I just worked my butt off much like I did at Rutgers. Real estate was something I was not experienced in, but with the mental toughness coach Schiano gave to all of his players, I knew I was going to be able to learn this at a rapid pace. I stuck to it, read a lot of books and through hard work, a good attitude and the mental toughness instilled in us, I was able to build a company from nothing two years ago to a company that has 300 units in a field I have zero experience in. I wanted to do something outside of football and it’s been a fun process to learn and to grow.

SK.com: What do you remember most about your time here at Rutgers?
BL: To be honest, it’s the family atmosphere. I played in the NFL twice as long as I did in college, but I have twice as many friends from college than I do in the NFL. I’m still in contact with a lot of my RU teammates to this day. We formed such a tight bond because we needed to in order to take a program from a losing program to a winning program known on the national level for being successful. That bond is still there to this day. We still have group texts, support each other’s charity work and are there for one another. There’s nothing better than the bond formed playing college football.

SK.com: What are some of your greatest accomplishments while at Rutgers?
BL: It’s pretty cliché and a moment everyone refers back to during my time here, but it has to be the Louisville game in 2006. The atmosphere that built up that day leading into that game was nothing I’ve ever felt in my life – either in college or in the NFL. To be down at half and to have the mental toughness and belief to know that we were going to come back and win that game, it was just an unreal feeling. I still get goosebumps thinking about it and I know a lot of fans I’ve spoken to that were there feel the same way.

SK.com: One of your signature moments was when you led the alma matter after the final home game of your career against Syracuse. What was that moment like for you?
BL: That was a cool moment when coach Schiano told me to get up there. But to be honest, being singled out like that and up in front of everyone like that does not really align with my personality. I’m more reserved and humble and don’t like to be the center of attention. But I’m glad coach Schiano made me do it because it was a memorable moment for me. I look back at the pictures from that day and it’s a really cool memory and one I’ll never forget.

SK.com: Coach Schiano is known for a lot of sayings. Which one sticks out to you?
BL: TBA – Trust, Belief, and Accountability – was definitely one of them. We always had that on our wrists. We lived by that. We trusted in one another and in our staff. We believed we were going to be successful and were going to win. And we held each other accountable. Part of the reason why we were successful during my time there is because the players took over most of the discipline on the team. The coaches didn’t have to worry about the nonsense that happens off the practice field because we took care of that and called guys out when they weren’t doing the right thing. When that happened, we really grew as a team and turned the corner.

SK.com: How about CHOP and F.A.M.I.L.Y.? What do those mean to you?
BL: Forget About Me, I Love You. I know coach still says that to this day. It’s all about love. Coach always says love is not just word, it’s an action. You don’t have to tell people you love them, but you can show them by what you sacrifice to them. At one point in my career at Rutgers, I knew Ray Rice was a better running back than me and he was going to help us win games. So I came back my senior year knowing I was going to get less carries, but at the same time knowing it was what was best for the team. We were going to do a lot of better things with him at running back and me at fullback. Whatever it took for us to turn the corner is all I really cared about. I cared about going to Rutgers and building something special.

SK.com: How would you describe your teammates at Rutgers?
BL: We’re truly family. It was a family atmosphere there. It wasn’t always easy though. We weren’t always happy with each other and got in fights on the field. But off the field, it was just as if you got into a fight with your brother. The next day or that night, you’re going to love them. We were just so mentally tough. We didn’t have five-star recruits or the best athletes, but every time we stepped on that field, we were the most mentally tough team out there, and that alone will help you win games. Coach Schiano is going to bring that mentality back for sure. He’s a developer of young men. Whoever he gets, he’s going to get the most out of those players and they’re going to be the most mentally tough players on the field. 

SK.com: What were your first thoughts when you heard Schiano was coming back to Rutgers?
BL: My first though was that Rutgers is back. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s the only one who can do it. He’s done it once before with less than he does now. He did it at a time when some college football fans didn’t even know what Rutgers was or had a football team. He put Rutgers on the map and made New Jersey proud to be Rutgers fans. There’s no doubt in my mind that Rutgers will be back. It’s going to take a little time, but it’s going to happen, just like it did the first time around.

SK.com: Finally, what does it mean to you to be inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Fame?
BL: It was a pretty important moment for me. When they told me I was going to be inducted [in 2016], I didn’t really know what to think. Now looking back on it, all the hard work, blood, sweat and tears I put in paid off. We turned the program around, we made people proud of Rutgers and to be inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Fame, it solidified all of those accomplishments we had here.