Leonard Joseph Casanova (June 12, 1905 – September 30, 2002) was an American football and baseball player, coach, and college athletics administrator.

Casanova was born to Swiss-American immigrants, John and Marie Ursula Casanov on June 12, 1905 on a ranch in the Grizzly Bluff area near Ferndale, California.

One of Casanova's early athletic feats came in the first game that year against Arcata High School when, as a left-footed kicker, he drop-kicked a 45-yard field goal as Ferndale defeated the Tigers, 10–0.

In the 1923 Ferndale High School yearbook, under the column "Expected to Be" in the "Senior Horoscope" section, Casanova listed his future career as "football coach".

A popular rivalry since its origination in 1895, the "Little Big Game" between Santa Clara and Saint Mary's was played annually in front of packed crowds at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.

The punt traveled a total of 97 yards and would (as of 2006) rank as the second longest of college football history if pre-1937 statistics were included in the NCAA record book.

Casanova was Santa Clara's team captain in his senior year under coach Adam Walsh, who had played at Notre Dame under Knute Rockne.

In 1928, he began teaching physical education and coaching football and baseball at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California.

As head football coach at Sequoia High, Casanova's team won the Peninsula Athletic League championship in 1935.

In 1936, Casanova became an assistant coach at his alma mater, Santa Clara University, under the legendary "Silver Fox", Buck Shaw.

Casanova remained Shaw's assistant until Santa Clara suspended football after the 1942 season on account of World War II.

His 1948 team defeated Stanford, tied Michigan State, and posted an upset win over Oklahoma at Kezar Stadium, 20–17.

Bryant, who later became the all-time winningest football coach in collegiate history after moving on to Texas A&M and Alabama, had earlier served under Casanova in the Navy.

Santa Clara's 19-car train to Miami was known as the "Orange Bowl Special" and it stopped at Yuma, Arizona and Del Rio, Texas to allow the team to hold short practice sessions.

After the Orange Bowl win, Santa Clara announced that as a cost-cutting measure it was dropping major college football.

Tabbed for a three touchdown licking, Casanova's Oregon Ducks matched the more numerous and more powerful athletes from the Big Ten Conference out-gaining Ohio State in total yards and first downs.

He remained closely associated with the University of Oregon for many years and was active in numerous fundraising efforts and special projects that improved the school's athletic facilities.

In 1991, the University of Oregon in decided that Casanova's distinguished record merited an exception to State Board of Higher Education policy regarding the naming of buildings after living persons.