IN MEMORIAM – LEO R. LUJAN
May 7, 2025
The CMP joins America’s Shooting Sports community in grieving the loss of Leo R. Lujan of Nashville, Tenn., who passed away on the 24th of June 2024 at the age of 89.
Leo Lujan is remembered and revered as one of America’s most active and productive youth marksmanship programs leaders. He was a giant in the sport and established rifle and pistol activities that thousands of U.S. citizens have participated in over the last several decades. Elements of programs he created are still alive in today’s CMP junior programs.
Lujan was born and educated in the State of Colorado. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 1963, where he played varsity wrestling and football. He later earned an MS in Administration from Auburn University. Lujan completed a military career in the Air National Guard that culminated in his retirement in 1991 as a Lieutenant Colonel, after 23 years of Active Guard service.
While he was a member of the National Guard Marksmanship Center staff, Lujan established himself as a national marksmanship leader by creating and administering the National Guard Junior Marksmanship Program. He authored the Shooters’ Guide to Position Air Rifle – over a quarter million copies of this training guide were distributed to aspiring junior marksmen and their coaches.
Lujan’s program creations impacted all aspects of junior marksmanship programming. They included instructional materials, qualification courses, training resources and postal/shoulder-to-shoulder competitions. His National Guard youth program grew to involve organizational relationships with the American Legion, JROTC commands, U.S. Jaycees, 4-H Shooting Sports, NRA, NSSF and CMP.
Lujan put his innovative instructional methods into action by serving as the coach of the Montgomery Bell Academy (Nashville, TN) Rifle Team and as the Director of Rifle Programs at the Cape Cod Sea Camp (Brewster, MA) for 17 summers. He was the guiding light behind the Montgomery Bell Academy Three-Position Air Rifle Championship that became a national model for major youth air rifle championships.
Leo Lujan’s love for youth and marksmanship leaves American marksmanship with a great loss and a huge legacy. CMP leaders and the entire CMP shooting sports community are sincerely grateful for Leo Lujan’s lifetime of significant contributions to the Shooting Sports.
The CMP expresses its sincere and belated condolences to Leo Lujan’s family and to his many friends and admirers.