Remembering Mike Leach, College Football's Quirkiest Character
The news that Mike Leach passed away last night is hitting the college football world hard. The 61-year-old Mississippi State coach suffered a heart attack at his home in Starkville on Sunday and was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. He died the next day, his family citing complications from a heart condition.
Defining Mike Leach’s legacy feels impossible, not only because his death was so sudden, but because Leach had a huge impact on college football as a coach and an individual. In 1989, Leach joined Hal Mumme’s staff at Iowa Wesleyan and followed him to Valdosta State and then Kentucky. Under Mumme, Leach learned the Air Raid offense and made it his own as an assistant at Oklahoma under Bob Stoops then as a head coach at Texas Tech, Washington State, and finally, Mississippi State. In 21 years, he had a 158-107 record. During his time as a head coach and an assistant, he tutored future offensive minds like Sonny Dykes, Josh Heupel, Dana Holforson, Kliff Kingsbury, Lincoln Riley, and Dave Aranda.
Leach’s innovation on the field was matched only by his quirkiness off it. He had a law degree but never practiced. He wrote several books, one on coaching and life called “Swing Your Sword” and another on Apache war leader Geronimo. For decades, he entertained reporters with off-topic ramblings, which must have been just a small glimpse at what it was like to know him. Social media is flooded with old clips of Leach and stories from media members, former players, and colleagues this morning. The fact that everyone who knew Leach has an interesting and/or funny moment to share is a testament to his character. As we mourn the Pirate, let’s look back at some of those moments. There are so, so many.
His cameo in Friday Night Lights
In 2009, Leach played himself in an appearance on Friday Night Lights, asking Eric Taylor for directions to Lubbock and giving the high school coach an impromptu pep talk. Leach got to use his catchphrases “Inner Pirate” and “Swing your Sword,” the latter of which became the title of his first book, published in 2011.
Doing the weather report?
I didn’t see this one until this morning and it’s hilarious.
Wedding Advice
Leach’s most famous tangent is probably the wedding advice he gave a reporter back in 2017, which resurfaces each year as brides and grooms grapple with the angst that is wedding planning.
This past season, Alyssa Lang asked Leach to run it back and give her some advice for her upcoming nuptials.
A tangent about tracking raccoons
Pirates vs. Vikings?
His ideal night out: A weeknight at Flora-Bama
How many rooms do you need in a house?
Ranking Halloween candy
More trick-or-treating advice
Doubling down on the candy corn hate
How to expand the College Football Playoff
Who would win a Pac-12 mascot battle?
A rant about coffee
Early-morning tailgate must-haves
Giving Nick Roush delivery room advice
With Baby No. 2 on the way in October, our own Nick Roush stepped up to the plate and asked the Pirate for some delivery room advice on the SEC Teleconference.
Taking up the chairs on the sideline
On how he’d like to be remembered: “What do I care? I’m dead”
That last one hits hard this morning. Rest in Peace, Pirate.
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