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 34th head football coach on January 9, 2020, was finishing his third season in Starkville and 21st as a head coach. Forever a college football icon, he leaves an incredible legacy as a husband, father, friend and leader of young men. Leach had been at Mississippi State for three seasons after stints at Texas Tech and Washington State. It’s not hyperbole to say that the eccentric Leach is one of the most influential figures in modern college football history.
His success at Texas Tech made the Air Raid offense more than a novelty and ushered in a new era of passing across the country. Coaches like USC’s Lincoln Riley, TCU’s Sonny Dykes, Houston’s Dana Holgorsen and Baylor’s Dave Aranda served as assistants under Leach at Texas Tech, and the Arizona Cardinals’ Kliff Kingsbury, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel and West Virginia’s Neal Brown all played for teams Leach coached.
“Coach Mike Leach cast a tremendous shadow not just over Mississippi State University, but over the entire college football landscape,” Mississippi State president Mark Keenum said in a statement. “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.”
Leach was hired at Texas Tech in 2000 after he was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma for a season and ran the offense at Kentucky for two seasons. Texas Tech never finished below .500 in any of Leach’s 10 seasons with the team and the Red Raiders went 11-2 in 2008.
The Air Raid spread across college football in the 2000s as Texas Tech quarterbacks put up eye-popping passing statistics on a regular basis. At its core, the Air Raid is a simple offense. It’s about completing passes to receivers in open space and often involves quick and short throws.
“The life of Mike Leach touched thousands upon thousands of people through his coaching, leadership teaching and insightful commentary,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said.
“We will miss Mike. Every conversation with Mike made you think. His humor, depth and point of view continually challenged all of us to think differently and re-evaluate our perspectives. His innovative approach to the game contributed to the evolution of college football.”
Josh Heupel, head football coach at the University of Tennessee, penned a lengthy message honoring Leach, whom he credits with launching his own athletic career.
“I am heartbroken on the passing of Coach Leach,” Heupel wrote. “In 1999, he gave a kid out of Snow College in utah a shot at major college football. He saw something in me when no one else did. Like so many across our sport, I am grateful for Coach Leach’s impact on my life both personally and professionally.”
Heupel went on to praise Leach’s “offensive philosophy and vision,” which, he said, “were ahead of his time” and “continue to shape the game today.”
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