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.JPG) Leach in 2012 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1961-03-09)March 9, 1961 Susanville, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 12, 2022(2022-12-12) (aged 61) Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Brigham Young University (BA) Pepperdine University (JD) United States Sports Academy (MS) |
| Playing career | |
| Rugby | |
| 1979–1983 | BYU |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1987 | Cal Poly (OL) |
| 1988 | Desert (LB) |
| 1989 | Pori Bears |
| 1989–1991 | Iowa Wesleyan (OC/OL) |
| 1992–1993 | Valdosta State (OC/WR/QB) |
| 1994–1996 | Valdosta State (OC/OL) |
| 1997–1998 | Kentucky (OC/QB) |
| 1999 | Oklahoma (OC/QB) |
| 2000–2009 | Texas Tech |
| 2012–2019 | Washington State |
| 2020–2022 | Mississippi State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 158–107 |
| Bowls | 8–9 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
Michael Charles Leach (March 9, 1961 – December 12, 2022) was an Americancollege football coach who primarily coached at theNCAA Division I FBS level. Nicknamed "the Pirate", he was a two-time national coach of the year, three-time conference coach of the year and the mastermind behind the NCAA record-settingair raid offense. He was the head coach atTexas Tech University from 2000 to 2009, where he became the winningest coach in school history.[1] After Texas Tech, he coached atWashington State University from 2012 to 2019, where he recorded the third-most wins of any coach in school history.[2] He then coached atMississippi State University from 2020 until his death in 2022.[3]
Leach was known for directing offenses using lots of passing to several receivers, in aspread system known as the air raid, which Leach developed withHal Mumme when Mumme was head coach and Leach was offensive coordinator atIowa Wesleyan,Valdosta State, andKentucky in the 1990s. Leach's offenses with Mumme, and later as a head coach himself, have broken numerous school andNCAA records.[4] On eighteen occasions, Leach led his unranked team to victory over a team ranked in theAP poll, which is the most in the AP era.[5]
Mike Leach was born to Frank and Sandra Leach inSusanville, California. His father Frank was a forester and the family moved around several times while Leach was growing up, before finally settling inCody, Wyoming.[6] Leach was raised a member ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While growing up in Cody, he joinedBoy Scout Troop 58 and earned the rank ofEagle in 1975.[7] Leach graduated fromCody High School in 1979; he played football there from 1975 to 1978 and was recruited to play atBrigham Young University (BYU) inProvo, Utah. An ankle injury he sustained in high school ruled out playing college football, so he playedrugby instead.[8][9]
Leach stayed close to the football program, occasionally sitting in on film room sessions.[8] Led by head coachLaVell Edwards, offensive coordinatorNorm Chow, and quarterbacksMarc Wilson,Jim McMahon, andSteve Young, BYU played with a pass-heavy offense, which was uncommon in college football at that time. Leach graduated in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in American studies.[10]
In 1986, Leach earned aJuris Doctor fromPepperdine University School of Law inMalibu, California.[8] He is also one of the most prominent graduates of theUnited States Sports Academy inDaphne, Alabama, from which he earned a Master of Sports Science in sports coaching in 1988.[11]
Leach began his coaching career as an assistant atCal Poly in 1987 before moving on toCollege of the Desert in 1988.[12]
In 1989, he served as head coach of thePori Bears in theAmerican Football Association of Finland.[12]
Also in 1989, he joinedHal Mumme's staff atIowa Wesleyan University as offensive coordinator. The pair spent three seasons there before moving toValdosta State (1992–1996) and thenKentucky (1997–1998). The partnership was known for the development of theair raid offense, which allowed their teams to rank highly in offensive statistics and set numerous records.[13] Kentucky quarterbackTim Couch became a No. 1 overallNFL draft pick.[14]
For the 1999 season, Leach joined theOklahoma staff under head coachBob Stoops.[15] Oklahoma's offense, which had ranked 11th in theBig 12 Conference in 1998, improved under Leach to first in the conference in 1999.[1]
After one year at Oklahoma, Leach was hired as head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, another Big 12 member.[1]
Under Leach, the Red Raiders' best finishes came with three nine-win seasons in 2002, 2005, and2007 and an 11-win season in 2008. In 2002, Tech swept its in-state conference rivalsBaylor,Texas, andTexas A&M for the first time since 1997 and then defeatedClemson, 55–15, in theTangerine Bowl. It was the Red Raiders' first postseason win since 1995 when they beat theAir Force Falcons in theCopper Bowl. In 2005, the Red Raiders opened their season with a 6–0 record, their best start since 1998. Leach built a strong passing offense at Tech, where the Red Raiders led the NCAA in passing yardage for four years in a row.[citation needed]
He insertedKliff Kingsbury at quarterback for three years. Kingsbury broke the NCAA records for completions in a career. Kingsbury was succeeded at the position byB. J. Symons, who produced the most passing yards in a season in NCAA history.Sonny Cumbie followed, leading the Red Raiders to an upset of the then-4th rankedCalifornia in the2004 Holiday Bowl.Cody Hodges succeeded Cumbie, and subsequently led the NCAA in passing.Graham Harrell, the first non-senior starting QB since Kingsbury, struggled early in the 2006 season. However, he showed steady improvement beginning with the game againstIowa State and ended the season with a record-setting comeback victory over theMinnesota Golden Gophers. Harrell also set NCAA records for passes completed in a season and career amongst others.[citation needed]
Texas Tech was known for its high-scoring offense and come-from-behind victories during Leach's tenure. A 70–35 win overTCU in 2004 began with TCU leading 21–0 with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter. Before Tech's scoring drives started, a TCU defensive back was caught mouthing into a TV camera, "They aren't going to score." Later in the season, Texas Tech beatNebraska, 70–10, forcing the Cornhuskers to give up more points in a single game than they had before in their 114-year history. In 2005, the Red Raiders were losing toKansas State, 13–10, late in the second quarter but won the game 59–20. Also in 2005, Tech had a halftime lead of 14–10 over Texas A&M. By the end of the game, they increased the margin to 56–17. It was the Aggies' worst loss to the Red Raiders in the 64-year-old series.[16]
Leach was chosen to coach the South team during the 2007 inaugural Inta JuiceNorth–South All-Star Classic game.[17]
At the end of the 2008 season, Leach was 76–39 with the Red Raiders, including 7–2 against the Texas A&M Aggies and 2–7 against the Texas Longhorns.[18] With a 5–4 record, he is the all-time winningest coach in postseason play in Tech football history. Leach was one of only sixteen active college football coaches who had never had a losing season after he left Texas Tech. This was followed by a 3–9 season in his seminal year with Washington State. Of those, he is among nine who have been a head coach for at least five seasons.[19]
In February 2009, Leach signed a three-year contract extension with Texas Tech that would have paid him at least $2.5 million per year if he had stayed through 2013. Leach's guaranteed compensation would have been $1.6 million in 2006, $1.65 million in 2007, $1.75 million in 2008, $1.85 million in 2009 and $2.15 million in 2010.[20]
During his post-gamepress conference after the2007 loss against Texas, Leach used most of his time to rail against the officiating crew for what he felt were bad calls.[21][22] He speculated that the officials may have favored Texas because the head official lived in Austin, because they were incompetent, or possibly because the conference wanted Texas to appear in a BCS bowl because of the increased appearance fees that such a bowl generates for the conference.[23][24] Jim Vertuno of theAssociated Press wrote, "Leach was upset officials disallowed two Tech touchdowns in the third quarter. The first was overruled when video replay clearly showed the receiver let the ball hit the ground. On the next play, a touchdown pass was negated by a holding penalty. Leach also wanted, but didn't get, a flag for roughing the quarterback."[24][25] TheLubbock Avalanche-Journal reported, "Big 12 policy prohibits coaches from commenting publicly about game officials, so Leach's actions leave him open to reprimand, fine or worse."[22] ESPN reported, "Big 12 official spokesman Bob Burda did not immediately respond to telephone messages seeking comment. Leach's rant will likely draw a fine from the league and possibly a suspension."[26]
On November 13, 2007, the Big 12 fined Leach $10,000, the largest fine in Big 12 history.[27] Leach also received a reprimand and was warned that further violations could result in suspension.[28] In a Big 12 coaches' conference call that day, Leach added that he did not regret making any of the comments.[29] Leach announced that he would appeal the fine.[30] Tech alumni and fans began raising money to aid Leach in paying the penalty in the event that it was upheld. Optionally, the proceeds raised could be used charitably.[31] So, just before Christmas 2007, Leach requested that the nearly $5,000 raised be used to purchase 400 hams to give to families inLubbock, Texas. Future donations were to go to the university or athletic department.[32] Following the2008 Gator Bowl, in which Virginia scored twice on penalties against Tech for intentional grounding in the end zone, Leach joked, "I felt like we had a back there on the one safety, but I don't comment on officiating. I just give out hams is what I do."[33]
Leach, along with playersGraham Harrell andMichael Crabtree, were featured on the cover of the 2008 edition ofDave Campbell's Texas Football.[34] The magazine predicted that the2008 Red Raider football team would be the best inTexas and would challenge for the Big 12 South title.[35] Following a 9–0 beginning to the season, including a win over the undefeated #1 Texas Longhorns, Texas Tech Athletic DirectorGerald Myers announced that the university would renegotiate Leach's contract following the conclusion of the football regular season and give him an extension.[36]
The Red Raiders ended the 2008 regular season with 11 wins and 1 loss, the best in school history. The season also marked the first win over a #1 ranked team. Tech, along with Oklahoma and Texas, shared the Big 12 Conference South division title. On December 2, 2008, theAssociated Press named Leach the Big 12 Coach of the Year. He received 16 votes for the honor by the agency's panel, while Texas'Mack Brown got 4.[37] He won co-Coach of the Year honors from theBig 12 coaches; Oklahoma'sBob Stoops received the same recognition for the same season.[38] TheDallas Morning News named him Coach of the Year as well.[39] He garnered the 2008George Munger Award, which is given annually to the top college coach of the year by theMaxwell Football Club.[40]
Aftermuch controversy about how the tie-breaker should be handled between Texas, Oklahoma, and Texas Tech fans, the Red Raiders ended up being left out of the BCS because of a rule that stated only two teams from each conference could enter BCS play per season.[41] Oklahoma won the tie-breaker on account of their higher BCS ranking, ultimately losing to Florida in thenational championship game.[42] Texas Tech also ended up losing that year in theCotton Bowl to Ole Miss 47–34.[43]
Leach interviewed for theUniversity of Washington head coaching job, which was vacated byTyrone Willingham.[44][45][46]ESPN reported that Leach withdrew his name from the coaching search following his interview.[47] Auburn, whereTommy Tuberville resigned,[48] had also been rumored to have contacted Leach.[49] In an interview with the Associated Press, Tech quarterback Graham Harrell stated that there was a "great chance" Leach could leave. Harrell noted that Leach might leave for a newer challenge.[50] After Leach withdrew his name from consideration for the Washington job, Harrell retracted his statements and believed Leach would remain the Red Raiders' coach.[51]
Tech athletic directorGerald Myers had indicated that he would give a raise to Leach before Tech's bowl game, which he later negotiated.[52] Leach and the university settled on a five-year extension worth $12.7 million after months of negotiations over the clauses of the contract.[53]
On October 31, 2009, after the Red Raiders' win over Kansas, Leach tied his predecessorSpike Dykes as the all-time winningest coach in Texas Tech's 85-year football history.[54] On November 21, 2009, Leach passed Dykes for first all-time on the school's wins list with a win over Oklahoma.[55]
On December 28, 2009, Leach was suspended indefinitely byTexas Tech pending investigation of alleged inappropriate treatment of Adam James, son of formerSMU andNew England Patriots running back (and formerESPN college football analyst)Craig James. On December 16, James suffered aconcussion. He was examined the next day, and told not to practice that afternoon due to the concussion. According to a James family source, Leach ordered him to stand in the equipment room near the Raiders' practice facility.According to theLubbock Avalanche-Journal, school officials claim they gave Leach an ultimatum to apologize to James in writing by December 28 or Leach be suspended. His attorney, Ted Liggett, disputed the characterization of events as reported by the university and other news sources, and said that James had been treated reasonably in light of his condition.[56]
Leach sought an injunction that would have allowed him to coach in the2010 Alamo Bowl. However, on December 30, Texas Tech fired Leach, calling his refusal to apologize to James "a defiant act of insubordination." This was the day before Leach was reportedly owed an $800,000 tenure bonus and over $1,700,000 for contractual guaranteed income for 2009.[57] Texas Tech lawyers handed a termination letter to Liggett just minutes before the two sides were to appear in a Lubbock courtroom for a hearing. Liggett was also told that Leach would not be allowed to coach in the Alamo Bowl regardless of how the hearing turned out. School officials later said that other incidents had come to light during its investigation of Leach, but declined to elaborate. Defensive coordinatorRuffin McNeill was named interim head coach and led the team during their appearance in the Alamo Bowl.[58][59]
In a statement, Leach said that he believed the firing was motivated in part by simmering acrimony over the contract negotiations. He also said he planned to sue Texas Tech for wrongful termination.[58]
On December 31, Leach spoke withThe New York Times in his first interview since being fired from Texas Tech. He said that he did not know where James had been taken, having only ordered him taken "out of the light." He claimed the controversy stemmed from Craig James's constant lobbying for more playing time for his son, whom he characterized as lazy and feeling entitled.[60]
On January 8, 2010, Leach formally filed suit against Texas Tech for wrongful termination and other claims. He claimed that school officials not only fired him without cause, but issued defamatory statements in a willful attempt to keep him from being hired elsewhere.[61] During a deposition for the case obtained by theLubbock Avalanche-Journal, Adam James admitted under oath that he found the closet incident "funny".[62] In May 2010, District Judge Bill Sowder dismissed all but one of Leach's claims on the grounds ofsovereign immunity, but he allowed Leach's claim for breach of contract to proceed, finding that Texas Tech had waived its immunity on this claim by its conduct. The judge also dismissed Leach's claims against three university administrators.[63][64] Both parties took steps to appeal the decision, although Leach's attorneys said they would drop their appeal if Texas Tech would do likewise and allow the breach of contract claim to proceed to a jury trial.[65] Early in 2011,Texas 7th Court of Appeals ruled that Texas Tech was immune from Leach's claim of breach of contract but that Leach can claim non-monetary reparations. Leach's attorney Paul Dobrowski announced his intention to appeal to theSupreme Court of Texas.[66]
In February 2012, the Texas Supreme Court denied Leach's petition for review. After that denial, Texas Tech attorney Dicky Gregg stated "As we've said from the beginning, we were right on the law and the facts, and the (Texas) Supreme Court has just held that we were correct on the law."[67]
In March 2012Friday Night Lights series creatorPeter Berg hinted that he had written a movie script for the characters from the TV series that is based on Leach's firing from Texas Tech.[68]
On August 6, Judge Sowder issued a summary judgement dismissing Leach's lawsuits against ESPN, Spaeth Communications, and Craig James. Leach's attorneys indicated they would appeal.[69]
In August 2010, Leach joinedCBS College Sports Network, where he worked as a color analyst with play-by-play announcerRoger Twibell.[70]
In 2010, Leach joined hostJack Arute to co-host "College Football Playbook" onSiriusXM College Sports Nation Channel 91, which airs weekdays 12 pm – 3 pm ET.[71]
In 2011, Leach released an autobiographical book,Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and in Life, through Diversion Books.[72][73] The book debuted at number six onThe New York Times Best Seller list.[74]
Leach was considered by many in the national media to be a candidate for the head coaching vacancies atUniversity of Miami,University of Maryland, andUniversity of Minnesota following the 2010 regular season. After at least two interviews at Maryland, he was considered the frontrunner for that job until the administration decided instead to hireRandy Edsall away fromUConn. Leach was mentioned in connection with a number of other vacancies in head-coaching positions during 2011, includingWashington State,Arizona,Ole Miss,Kansas,Penn State, andTulane.[75][76]
Leach agreed to terms withWashington State on November 30, 2011, and began coaching for the 2012 season. His five-year rollover contract made Leach the fourth-highest paid coach in the Pac-12.[77] On December 5, 2019, Leach received a contract extension through 2024.[78]
Leach'sfirst season in Pullman was a controversial one. Washington State was 3–9 overall and 1–8 in Pac-12 play; the lone wins were against FCSEastern Washington,UNLV, and an upset of rivalWashington in theApple Cup in Pullman. On November 10, more allegations of player abuse erupted when star wide receiverMarquess Wilson quit the team citing "physical, emotional and verbal abuse" by the coaching staff.[79] Immediately after the allegations were made, university presidentElson Floyd issued a statement indicating that he had requested investigations into the alleged incident(s) from both the WSU Athletic Department and the Pac-12 Conference.[80] The investigations determined that the claims made against Leach were without merit, and Wilson later recanted the allegations.[81]
Leach led WSU to a 6–6 regular season in2013 that had them bowl eligible for the first timein a decade. They were led on offense byConnor Halliday, who set school and conference records for passing. The Cougars defeatedUSC,California,Arizona, andUtah for a4–5 conference record. Invited to theNew Mexico Bowl inAlbuquerque, WSU led most of the game, but lost48–45 to theColorado State Rams. Down by sixteen points with under three minutes to play, the Rams mounted an all-time great comeback, winning with a field goal as time expired in regulation. The Cougars led the nation in passing offense and total offense. Leach received a 2-year contract extension on November 18, 2013, after leading the Washington State Cougars to their best record since 2006.[82]
The2014 season saw the Cougars regress to a3–9 record. The Cougars defeatedPortland State59–21,Utah28–27, andOregon State39–32.[83]
In2015, despite a season-opening loss to FCS school Portland State, the Cougars had their breakthrough season of the Leach era with a9–4 record,6–3 in the Pac-12. The Cougars were invited to theSun Bowl inEl Paso, Texas, where they beat theMiami Hurricanes20–14. This was the best Cougar record since the2003 team went10–3.[84]
WSU began the2016 season with two losses, but rallied off eight consecutive wins before dropping their final two games. The success of their season, led byLuke Falk at quarterback, landed them in theHoliday Bowl inSan Diego where they lost17–12 toMinnesota of theBig Ten. WSU finished7–2 in the Pac-12, with notable wins overOregon and #15Stanford. It was the Cougars' best conference finish in thirteen seasons, but the bowl loss gave WSU an overall record of8–5.[citation needed]
Washington State was6–3 in the Pac-12 and 9–3 in2017.[85] They were again invited to theHoliday Bowl where they lost42–17 toMichigan State and finished9–4 overall.[86]
Leach recruited graduate transferGardner Minshew at quarterback in time for the2018 season and it paid big dividends. The Cougars won a school record-tying ten games, the first time they had won that many in the regular season since theRose Bowl year of2002.[87] They also surged as high as seventh in major polling and went into theApple Cup with a chance to clinch the Pac-12 North title and a shot at theRose Bowl, but lost 28–15 to rivalWashington in the snow in Pullman, a sixth consecutive loss to the Huskies.[88][89] The10–2 Cougars were invited to theAlamo Bowl inSan Antonio to play theIowa State Cyclones oftheBig 12. They won 28–26 for a school record 11th win.[90]
After Minshew went to the NFL, Leach led Washington State to a 6–7 record in 2019.[91] Notably, Leach and the Cougars lost to unrankedUCLA 67–63 while ranked #19 going into the game.[92] Washington State ended the regular season with Leach's seventh consecutive Apple Cup loss toWashington.[93]
On January 9, 2020, Leach agreed to be the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. His contract was reported to pay him $5 million annually.[94] The season started with a 44–34 upset victory over no. 6LSU, who had won theCFP National Championship the previous season. The team struggled the rest of the season, winning only two more games, 24–17 overVanderbilt and 51–32 overMissouri, finishing the regular season at 3–7. Despite the losing record, the Bulldogs were invited to theArmed Forces Bowl, as the NCAA waivedbowl eligibility requirements due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[95][96] Mississippi State faced off against no. 24Tulsa, defeating the Golden Hurricane 28–26 to finish with an overall record of 4–7.[97]
Leach led the Bulldogs to a 7–5 record in the 2021 regular season.[98] The season was highlighted with ranked victories overTexas A&M,Kentucky, andAuburn.[99][100][101] They qualified for theLiberty Bowl, where they lost 34–7 toTexas Tech.[102]
Leach led the Bulldogs to a 8–4 record in the 2022 regular season.[103] The Bulldogs recorded ranked victories overTexas A&M andOle Miss.[104][105] Leach died before the team's bowl game, an eventual 19–10 victory overIllinois in theReliaQuest Bowl.[106][107]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Tech Red Raiders(Big 12 Conference)(2000–2009) | |||||||||
| 2000 | Texas Tech | 7–6 | 3–5 | 4th(South) | LGalleryfurniture.com | ||||
| 2001 | Texas Tech | 7–5 | 4–4 | T–3rd(South) | LAlamo | ||||
| 2002 | Texas Tech | 9–5 | 5–3 | T–2nd(South) | WTangerine | ||||
| 2003 | Texas Tech | 8–5 | 4–4 | 4th(South) | WHouston | ||||
| 2004 | Texas Tech | 8–4 | 5–3 | T–3rd(South) | WHoliday | 17 | 18 | ||
| 2005 | Texas Tech | 9–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd(South) | LCotton | 19 | 20 | ||
| 2006 | Texas Tech | 8–5 | 4–4 | 4th(South) | WInsight | ||||
| 2007 | Texas Tech | 9–4 | 4–4 | T–3rd(South) | WGator | 23 | 22 | ||
| 2008 | Texas Tech | 11–2 | 7–1 | T–1st(South) | LCotton | 12 | 12 | ||
| 2009 | Texas Tech | 8–4 | 5–3 | 3rd(South) | Alamo[a] | 23 | 21 | ||
| Texas Tech: | 84–43 | 47–33 | |||||||
| Washington State Cougars(Pac-12 Conference)(2012–2019) | |||||||||
| 2012 | Washington State | 3–9 | 1–8 | 6th(North) | |||||
| 2013 | Washington State | 6–7 | 4–5 | T–4th(North) | LNew Mexico | ||||
| 2014 | Washington State | 3–9 | 2–7 | T–5th(North) | |||||
| 2015 | Washington State | 9–4 | 6–3 | 3rd(North) | WSun | ||||
| 2016 | Washington State | 8–5 | 7–2 | 2nd(North) | LHoliday | ||||
| 2017 | Washington State | 9–4 | 6–3 | 3rd(North) | LHoliday | ||||
| 2018 | Washington State | 11–2 | 7–2 | T–1st(North) | WAlamo | 10 | 10 | ||
| 2019 | Washington State | 6–7 | 3–6 | T–5th(North) | LCheez-It | ||||
| Washington State: | 55–47 | 36–36 | |||||||
| Mississippi State Bulldogs(Southeastern Conference)(2020–2022) | |||||||||
| 2020 | Mississippi State | 4–7 | 3–7 | T–6th(Western) | WArmed Forces | ||||
| 2021 | Mississippi State | 7–6 | 4–4 | T–3rd(Western) | LLiberty | ||||
| 2022 | Mississippi State | 8–4 | 4–4 | T–3rd(Western) | ReliaQuest[b] | 19* | 20* | ||
| Mississippi State: | 19–16 | 11–14 | |||||||
| Total: | 158–106 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Mike Leach" American football coach – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Mike Leach" American football coach – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Although he did not play college football, Leach played wide receiver under John McDougall, the longtime coach at Cody High School in Cody, Wyoming. Under Coach MacDougall, Cody played in two top division state championships while Leach was a student, winning one in 1976 in triple overtime against coach John Deti's Laramie Plainsmen.
Head coaches under whom Leach served:
Assistant coaches under Leach who became college head coaches:
Players under Leach who became college or NFL head coaches:
Leach was the oldest of six siblings. He and his wife, Sharon, were the parents of four children, along with three grandchildren.[117]
Leach was atypical amongNCAA Division I head coaches in that he did not play college football.[118]
Famous among fans for his fascination with 18th-centurypirates such asBlackbeard andJohn Rackham, Leach lectured his players on the history of pirates, and told them before games to "swing their swords." His office had been described as a museum of pirate paraphernalia.[112][16] Notably, his office at Washington State included a life-size statue of a singing pirate, a gift from basketball coaching legendBob Knight, who had coached atTexas Tech for most of Leach's tenure at that school.[5] In particular, Leach admired theteamwork exhibited by pirates:[112]
Pirates function as a team. There were a lot of castes and classes in England at the time. But with pirates, it didn't matter if you were black, white, rich or poor. The object was to get a treasure. If the captain did a bad job, you could just overthrow him.
Leach spent time during each off-season pursuing non-sport interests. Besides pirates, he had studied topics such asNative American leaderGeronimo, American pioneerDaniel Boone,grizzly bears,chimpanzees,whales, and American artistJackson Pollock.[16]
Leach made a cameo appearance on the TV seriesFriday Night Lights. In the show's fourth season, he portrayed a "random loon" at a gas station who implores a despondent coachEric Taylor to "swing your sword" and "find your inner pirate."[68]
During the spring of 2019, Leach co-taught a five-week seminar at Washington State, "Insurgent Warfare and Football Strategies," alongside Washington politicianMichael Baumgartner.[119]
On December 11, 2022, Leach experienced an undisclosed health issue and was hospitalized inJackson, Mississippi.[120] That evening,Sports Illustrated reporter Ross Dellenger reported that Leach was incritical condition.[121]The Clarion-Ledger reported that Leach had suffered a massive heart attack and had not received medical attention for 10 to 15 minutes, and had also suffered seizures that may have contributed to brain damage as a result.[122] He died the following day at the age of 61. In a statement, Mississippi State gave the cause of death as "complications due to a heart condition".[123][5]
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