Born in 1963 Leigh Ann Curl was the second of six children. As a child she excelled in sports and was known as the tomboy of her Pittsburgh neighborhood in Pennsylvania. Women in sports was atypical for a young girl at that time but her parents were highly supportive of her athletic interests. Her mother, who grew up playing basketball, was an especially big source of inspiration and would sometimes surprise her by taking her to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates. Devastatingly for Curl, her mother died from a cerebral aneurysm during her freshman year of high school when Curl was only 14 years old. This was an especially difficult time for Curl who attributes her interests in sports and more specifically her teammates and coaches to getting her through that difficult time in her life.
