Tim Couch on Mike Leach: "I will greatly miss him and his friendship"
Tributes to Mike Leach continue to pour in from all across college football. If you missed the news this morning, the 61-year-old Mississippi State head coach passed away last night after suffering a reported heart attack at his home on Sunday.
Leach’s innovation on the field was matched only by his personality off it. Beginning at Iowa Wesleyan and later at Valdosta State and Kentucky, Leach and his mentor Hal Mumme revolutionized college football with the Air Raid offense, which took flight with Tim Couch at the controls. With Mumme as his head coach and Leach as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Couch set school records, led the Cats to their first win over Alabama in 75 years, was named a Heisman finalist, and became the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1999. The two seasons with Mumme, Leach, and Couch together felt like lightning in a bottle and left an imprint on the sport that still remains.
“I’m deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Coach Leach,” Couch said in a statement to KSR. “I pray for his family during this tough time. Mike was an innovator and a terrific football coach and person. I am very thankful for the time we spent together at Kentucky. Those years were and always will be very special to me. Coach Mumme and Coach Leach had a massive impact on my career. I will always be grateful and thankful for that.”
Although the two parted ways in 1999, Couch going to the NFL and Leach to Oklahoma, they stayed in touch. Leach served as head coach at three different schools, Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State, totaling a 159-107 record over 21 seasons.
“Mike and I remained close friends even after his time at UK,” Couch told KSR. “I was extremely happy for him and all the success he had at each coaching stop he had along the way. Mike was truly one of a kind and I will greatly miss him and his friendship.”
Mumme on Leach: “We were just like brothers”
Hal Mumme spoke with the SEC Network about his relationship with Leach during a special this afternoon.
“We ruined a lot of tablecloths in restaurants and used up a lot of napkins,” Mumme said of drawing up plays with the Pirate. “It was just a complete collaboration and it was fun to do. We enjoyed all of it and we didn’t mind working without a net. We were never afraid to be fired, we were never afraid to go for it on fourth down. Mike, we were just like brothers. It was so fun being on the sidelines with him. I remember when Bob Stoops hired him away, I was happy that he got that opportunity but I did miss him incredibly the next year.”
Other members of the 1997 and 1998 Kentucky Football teams have also shared tributes to Leach on social media, including TCU head coach Sonny Dykes, who was on Kentucky’s staff as a grad assistant/tight ends coach while Leach was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Sonny Dykes (Kentucky staff 1997, 1999)
Matt Mumme (Son of Hal Mumme, Kentucky QB 1997-99)
Anthony White (Kentucky RB 1996-99)
Craig Yeast (Kentucky WR 1995-98)
Mark Stoops on Mike Leach’s passing
This morning, Mark Stoops also posted a tribute to Leach. On Monday, the Kentucky head coach wrote that he was praying for his “dear friend.”
“My thoughts and prayers are with Coach Leach’s family and everyone with Mississippi State Football,” Stoops tweeted today. “I loved talking football and everything in between with Mike. He was a great one and he will be sorely missed.”
In Starkville, Leach’s face graces the jumbotron at Davis Wade Stadium, where a makeshift memorial has formed around the gates.
Rest in Peace, Pirate
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard