RIP ... MSU Football Coach Mike Leach

[LSUDad]

Mike Leach status: Mississippi State releases statement about coach being in 'critical condition'

Keith Farner | 3 hours ago

 

 

 

Mike Leach remains in critical condition, according to a statement released from Mississippi State, as the Bulldogs coach is at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.

“Mike’s family is with him and appreciates the overwhelming expressions of love and support for the coach, but also requests that their family’s privacy be respected at this time.”

 

On Sunday, the school released a statement when Leach’s health complications became public.

“Mississippi State University Head Football Coach Mike Leach had a personal health issue at his home earlier today (Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022). That issue led to a decision to transfer Coach Leach to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson by ambulance. That is the extent of information that MSU has available regarding Coach Leach’s condition, and the university will make no other comment at this time other than to say that the thoughts and prayers of the university are with Mike and Sharon and their family.

MSU President Mark E. Keenum and Interim MSU Athletics Director Bracky Brett have conferred, and the decision has been made to place MSU Defensive Coordinator Zach Arnett in charge of the MSU football team until Coach Leach returns. Practice for the ReliaQuest Bowl game and recruiting operations will continue.

MSU will issue additional information via social media when it becomes available.

 

[dachsie]

Clarion Ledger is reporting it was a massive heart attack. And Steve Robertson - Mississippi State Football Insider - is saying he's been transitioned to hospice care.  So very sad.

[LSUDad]

“ I wish I had better news at this point, UMMC has transitioned into comfort care measures for Coach Mike Leach. It's essentially hospice care at this point.

I am told he is largely nonresponsive since the cardiac event yesterday morning. It appears to simply be a matter of time now. It all seems so unfair. Life is fleeting. Tell those you love how much you love them. Forgive, forgive, forgive.

We will not be working to break the final story. We will be working with the family's time with all of that. Yes, we have a story ready to roll but we will now wait for the official and unfortunate work from the university.

I can't believe we are even having these discussions. It's so unreal. He isn't just our football coach. He's Mike Leach, a national treasure. I am honored to say he was our coach for three seasons. It's nice to remember he is going out a winner.”

Coach Leach was airlifted to a hospital in Jackson with an unknown medical condition. We now know that his condition has worsened and he has been taken off life support.

[COTiger]

I'm certainly not a doctor, but if he's been taken off life support that tells me there isn't much hope for recovery.  I obviously hope I'm wrong..

[LSUDad]

 

[Fishhead]

I believe it was the lack of oxygen to the brain that is the biggest issue. It's been stated he went 15 minutes with none

[LSUDad]

STARKVILLE -- Mississippi State University Head Football Coach Michael Charles "Mike" Leach passed away last night (Monday, Dec. 12) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, following complications from a heart condition. He was 61.
 
In a statement, the Leach family said: "Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world.  Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father's life."  
 
Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum said: "Coach Mike Leach cast a tremendous shadow not just over Mississippi State University, but over the entire college football landscape. His innovative "Air Raid" offense changed the game. Mike's keen intellect and unvarnished candor made him one of the nation's true coaching legends. His passing brings great sadness to our university, to the Southeastern Conference, and to all who loved college football. I will miss Mike's profound curiosity, his honesty, and his wide-open approach to pursuing excellence in all things. 
 
"Mike's death also underscores the fragility and uncertainty of our lives. Three weeks ago, Mike and I were together in the locker room celebrating a hard-fought victory in Oxford. Mike Leach truly embraced life and lived in such a manner as to leave no regrets. That's a worthy legacy. May God bless the Leach family during these days and hours. The prayers of the Bulldog family go with them," Keenum said.
 
MSU Interim Athletics Director Bracky Brett said: "We are heartbroken and devastated by the passing of Mike Leach. College football lost one of its most beloved figures today, but his legacy will last forever. Mike's energetic personality, influential presence and extraordinary leadership touched millions of athletes, students, coaches, fans, family and friends for decades. 
 
"Mike was an innovator, pioneer and visionary. He was a college football icon, a coaching legend but an even better person," said Brett. "We are all better for having known Mike Leach. The thoughts and prayers of Mississippi State University and the entire Bulldog family are with his wife Sharon, his children and the entire Leach family." 
 
Leach, who was named Mississippi State's 34^th head football coach on January 9, 2020, was finishing his third season in Starkville and 21^st as a head coach. Forever a college football icon, he leaves an incredible legacy as a husband, father, friend and leader of young men.  
 

The oldest of six siblings, Leach and his wife Sharon shared four children: Janeen, Kimberly, Cody and Kiersten.
 
Born in Susanville, California to Frank and Sandra Leach, Mike was raised in Cody, Wyoming. After graduating with honors from BYU in 1983 where he played rugby, Leach earned a master's degree from the U.S. Sports Academy and his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University, where he graduated in the top one-third of his class.
 
For nearly four decades, Leach had an unmatched impact on the game of football including thousands of student-athletes, coaches and staff. He was a two-time national coach of the year, three-time Power 5 conference coach of the year and the mastermind behind the NCAA record-setting "Air Raid" offense.
 
The accomplishments for Leach in his 21 years as a head coach were long and distinguished. A proven winner who established a culture of excellence at every stop of his career, Leach compiled a 158-107 (.596) record, guided his squads to 19 bowl games, produced seven seasons of at least nine victories, captured two conference division titles, became the winningest coach in Texas Tech history and set school records for bowl appearances at both Texas Tech (10) and Washington State (6). During 10 of those 21 seasons, Leach's passing attack led the FBS – six at Texas Tech and four at Washington State.
 
One of the most successful coaches in the history of college football, Leach's 158 career wins as an FBS coach are the second-most among active SEC coaches and the fifth-most among active Power 5 coaches. Of the 50 most productive passing yardage seasons in FBS history, 10 came from quarterbacks coached by Leach since his hiring as head coach at Texas Tech in 2000. That included one season by Kliff Kingsbury, one by B.J. Symons (2003), one by Sonny Cumbie, three by Graham Harrell (2006-08), one by Connor Halliday, one by Luke Falk (2015), one by Gardner Minshew II (2018) and one by Anthony Gordon (2019).
 
A passionate educator, mentor, historian and lifelong learner, Leach had great admiration for academics. He instilled that in his players, as his teams routinely set records for GPA and graduation rate. A masterful storyteller, Leach authored a New York Times best-selling autobiography in 2011 titled Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and in Life. He later wrote Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior in 2014.
 
Leach built arguably the greatest coaching tree in college football, giving countless coaches their start in the profession. His historic tree includes former and current head coaches Lincoln Riley, Dave Aranda, Sonny Cumbie, Dana Holgorsen, Seth Littrell, Art Briles, Ken Wilson, Neal Brown, Josh Heupel, Eric Morris, Sonny Dykes, Kliff Kingsbury, Ruffin McNeill and assistant coaches Wes Welker, Bill Bedenbaugh, Robert Anae, Alex Grinch, Brandon Jones, and more.
 
Leach began his coaching career in 1987 as an assistant at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo before coaching stops at College of the Desert in 1988 and as a head coach in the European Football League in Pori, Finland, in 1989. 
 
Leach teamed up with Hal Mumme at Iowa Wesleyan College in 1989, where the duo developed the renowned Air Raid offense. From 1989 to 1991 Leach served as offensive coordinator and line coach for a unit that led the NAIA in passing yardage one season and finished second the other two. Iowa Wesleyan quarterbacks passed for more than 11,000 yards in Leach's three seasons and broke 26 national records. 
 

Leach and Mumme went on to spend five seasons at Valdosta State (1992-96) and then two seasons at Kentucky (1997-98). 
 
Named 1996 Division II Offensive Coordinator of the Year by American Football Quarterly magazine, Leach helped Mumme lead Valdosta State to a 40-17-1 record. The 1993 Blazer offense smashed 66 school records, 22 conference records and seven national records. In 1994, Valdosta State advanced to the Division II playoffs with Leach's offense shattering 80 school records, 35 conference records and seven more national marks. 
 
As Kentucky's offensive coordinator, Leach coached the Wildcat offense to six NCAA records, 41 Southeastern Conference records and 116 school records in 22 games. 
 
Leach joined Bob Stoops' Oklahoma staff as offensive coordinator in 1999. He directed a Sooner offense that went from one of the worst in the Big 12 Conference to one of the best. In just one year, OU's total offense numbers improved from 293.3 to 427.2 yards per game. Under Leach, the Oklahoma offense set six Big 12 Conference and 17 school records.
 
Leach went on to spend 10 seasons as head coach at Texas Tech (2000-09) where his squads produced bowl appearances all 10 years. He compiled a school-record 84 victories, a school-record five bowl wins and eight consecutive seasons of at least eight victories.
 
The architect of the most prolific passing offense in the country, Leach received three national coach of the year awards in 2008 - the Woody Hayes Award, Howie Long/Fieldturf Coach of the Year and George Munger Award. Leach's offense captured six NCAA passing titles and three total offense titles during his 10 seasons in Lubbock.
 
Leach led Texas Tech to one of the most memorable seasons in school history in 2008 as the team set a program record with 11 regular season wins en route to an 11-2 record. The win total tied the mark, set previously by the 1953 and 1973 Red Raider squads. Numerous accolades poured in from across the country as an unprecedented four players earned first-team All-America status, in addition to Leach's three coach of the year honors. Harrell, offensive tackle Rylan Reed and offensive guard Brandon Carter each garnered first-team honors, while wide receiver Michael Crabtree was honored as a unanimous All-American and the Biletnikoff Award winner for the second-straight season.
 
A total of 18 players were drafted at Texas Tech under Leach's watch and 21 others signed free agent contracts. In the spring of 2009, four players were selected among the first four rounds of the NFL Draft, marking the most successful draft for Texas Tech in the Leach era.
 

The program made strides academically as well under Leach. During his 10 years, Texas Tech was recognized as one of the nation's top institutions for consistently being above a 70 percent graduation rate, according to the AFCA.
 
Following his tenure at Texas Tech, Leach spent eight seasons at the helm at Washington State where he compiled a 55-47 (.539) record and was named the 2018 American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year and two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2015, 2018). Leach spearheaded WSU to a school-record six bowl appearances and became the first coach in school history to lead the Cougars to five consecutive bowl games. They also led the nation in passing offense in four out of his last six seasons in charge.
 
The 2018 campaign saw Leach produce one of the finest coaching performances as WSU posted its first 11-win season in school history and a share of the Pac-12 North Division. The Cougars were ranked in the top 13 of each College Football Playoff rankings, including four consecutive weeks at No. 8. WSU capped the season with a win over Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl and finished No. 10 in the Associated Press and Coaches polls. Senior quarterback and Mississippi native Minshew captivated the nation, leading the FBS in passing yards per game (367.6).
 
In the spring of 2019, Leach taught a five-week course at WSU on Insurgent Warfare and Football Strategies, along with former Washington State Senator Michael Baumgartner.
 
Leach arrived in Starkville on January 9, 2020, as Mississippi State's 34^thhead football coach. He led the Bulldogs to a 19-17 record, including an 8-4 mark in 2022, and bowl appearances in all three seasons. Leach's offense led the SEC passing in each of the last two seasons. The Bulldogs defeated seven AP Top 25 opponents during Leach's MSU tenure, which tied for third most by a Bulldog head coach. Leach coached MSU to its two largest comebacks in program history in 2021.

[LSUDad]

RIP Coach Leach! 

[dachsie]

So sad.  He was still young.  May he rest in peace.

[Hatchertiger]

Life is short.

[Nutriaitch]

Swing Your Sword Coach!

you truly were a one of a kind and a National Treasure.

 

 

and to our Bulldog brothers, you are in our prayers in your time of loss.

[LSUDad]

Mississippi State QB Will Rogers releases touching memories, message to late coach Mike Leach

Nick Schultz•about 4 hours

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

The last quarterback Mike Leach coached was Will Rogers. He thrived in the Air Raid offense over the last three years with Mississippi State, leading the SEC in passing yards in 2021 and 2022 under Leach’s tutelage.

Leach passed away Monday nightfrom complications due to a heart condition, and the tributes poured in Tuesday morning after Mississippi State announced the news. Rogers took to Twitter to share his memories of his head coach and paid a touching tribute.

“I was in 1st grade when Graham threw the ball to Crabtree against Texas,” Rogers tweeted. “Thank you for giving me a chance as a 17 year old. From Wazzu, to Mississippi State I will never forget everything you taught me and the relationship we had. I will see you again someday coach.”

[COTiger]

RIP Coach.  You were definitely one of a kind.

[COTiger]

Mike was the HC at Texas Tech at the same time as Bobby Knight was the Head Basketball Coach.  How would you liked to have been the AD during that time frame?  I was stationed at the AFB outside of Lubbock in the late '60s.  I don't know how they are able to draw quality athletes to Texas Tech.

[dachsie]

I just read this on Facebook - it's hilarious:

 

Lincoln Riley was hired by Mike Leach as an assistant coach in the early 2000's when Coach Leach was the head coach at Texas Tech.

One day, Riley overheard a phone conversation that Coach Leach was having, and Lincoln Riley tells The Players Tribune it went like this:

 

"He (Coach Leach) picked it up (the phone) and said, ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ And then he listened for a second and asked, ‘Where ya calling from?’

"He kept talking on the phone and I eventually sort of tuned out. Now, a short phone conversation for Coach Leach is an hour.

 

"So he was talking about this and that, and I was kind of hunkered down working on my own stuff. At some point, the call got dropped. They must have lost reception. Coach said, 'Can you hear me? Are you there?'

 

"He hung up his old flip phone, swung it back open and redialed. He said, ‘Hey, sorry I lost you.’ And then they resumed their conversation for another 30 minutes or so before Coach finally hung up.

 

"After he was done, we started talking and I said, ‘Hey Coach, who was that on the phone?’

 

"And he said, ‘Oh, they had the wrong number.'”

 

He was definitely one of a kind.

[LSUDad]

Hanny talks Mike Leach! 
 

 

[LSUDad]

 

[LSUDad]

 

[LSUDad]

Matt talks Leach, also a Former LSU player, a name some might remember. 
 

 

[dachsie]

Really enjoyed this article written by an LSU alum

 

https://www.si.com/college/mississippistate/football/mississippi-state-football-head-coach-mike-leach-impacted-several-lives-before-his-passing

[dachsie]

The more I read about Mike Leach the more I am impressed about him.  He was a genuine person, one I wish more people were like.

Here is another story:

 

It’s a story that reminds us of Coach Leach’s patience, his keen memory and his interest in others.

I think you will enjoy this tale!

 

“Three years ago, I took my 11-year-old son to a Mississippi State game.

 

Jackson wanted to see pre-game warm-ups, so we were practically the first fans in the stadium.

 

We took our upper level seats, and my son asked if he could walk down to the field level seats to watch warm-ups, and I let him.

Well, this kid somehow managed to convince a security guard that he was supposed to be on the field.

 

The next thing I saw was my son walking up to Coach Leach and fist bumping him.

 

“The two started talking, and a few minutes later Coach Leach was calling over a couple of his players.

Now, my son was a center on his YMCA team- Coach Leach had his centers showing my son how to snap the ball!

 

I was in the upper deck, totally dumbfounded that an SEC coach just spent time in pre-game showing some kid he’d never met how to snap a football.

My kid comes back to our upper deck seats beaming with pride- I saw it as a memory of a lifetime.

 

“Two years later we went to another game- my son was again in the front row watching warm-ups.

 

A graduate assistant ran over and yelled, Are you Jackson?’ and my son said, ‘Yes!’

The graduate assistant said, ‘Coach Leach wants to see you,’ and he took my son out on the field.

 

“Coach Leach asked my son if he’d been practicing, and then made him do several snaps.

Coach told him to keep working on it, gave him a football and sent him on his way.

 

I was in the stands dumbfounded that a coach remembered my son’s name, remembered that day, and knew what spending five minutes of his time with a kid could mean.”

 

Thanks, Jeff, for this wonderful story.

 

I’m asking myself as I write this, “What other college football coach would do such a thing?”, and the answer is, “Pretty much none.”

If anyone wonders why Mike Leach was and is so loved, they need only listen to the story of the coach and 11-year-old Jackson Tyler.

[COTiger]

WOW!!!  What an incredible story.  Thanks for sharing it.

[dachsie]

Another classic. This was brilliant - too bad Texas figured it out so soon

 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/24866357/the-untold-1999-texas-oklahoma-story-mike-leach-fake-play-script

[Nutriaitch]

On 12/16/2022 at 10:43 PM, dachsie said:

Another classic. This was brilliant - too bad Texas figured it out so soon

 

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/24866357/the-untold-1999-texas-oklahoma-story-mike-leach-fake-play-script

ha!  Carl Reese!

thanks for some damn good games (and some not so great ones too)

[LSUDad]

Texas Tech was where Mike Leach got his start as a head coach, putting together some of his best seasons, including an 11-2 season in 2008.

The Red Raiders took the field on Wednesday night for the Texas Bowl against Ole Miss, and they decided to honor their late coach.

As you can see below, they came out in the Air Raid formation to pay tribute to the offensive style Leach helped created that now permeates all levels of football:

Ole Miss, of course, declined the penalty in order to let the tribute to Leach

each go unpenalized.

A classy gesture from the Red Raiders. Now they’ll be playing hard to try to win a game in his honor.

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/mississippi-state-football/texas-tech-lines-up-in-air-raid-formation-takes-delay-of-game-to-honor-mike-leach-on-first-play-of-texas-bowl/amp/