Per ESPN: Mississippi State coach Mike Leach dies after hospitalization
Sad day for college football, the Pirate King is dead.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:39 AM ^
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."
December 13th, 2022 at 10:07 AM ^
In a world full of pretension and hype Mike Leach was genuine. Who he was may not have been everyone’s cup of tea but it was authentic. And our hunger for authenticity increases as we see less and less of it.
RIP Mike Leach. You will be missed.
December 13th, 2022 at 10:59 AM ^
RIP indeed for a true original. I will always think of this GIF - focusing somewhere while people go crazy around you.
December 13th, 2022 at 11:37 AM ^
That Sun Bowl was so fun to watch that year.
December 13th, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
I have been a huge Leach fan since ESPN at the behest of Craig James and his shitstain son unleashed a character assassination on Leach because James' son was an entitled snot nosed kid whose dad used his clout to badger the TTU fb program and then lied about Leach locking him in a shed.
Every game he coached after that was vindication and the fact Craig James has disappeared from the face of TV is proof that karma is real.
RIP Mike Leach.
December 13th, 2022 at 11:34 AM ^
That and, as everybody knows, CJK5H
December 13th, 2022 at 11:41 AM ^
ALLEGEDLY.
December 13th, 2022 at 1:57 PM ^
CJKML
December 13th, 2022 at 11:56 AM ^
Naturally
December 13th, 2022 at 12:17 PM ^
Amen to this. Rest in peace, Coach.
December 13th, 2022 at 2:14 PM ^
Yeah, he wasn't perfect (not that any of us are), but he was indeed the genuine article.
Rest in peace, Coach Leach.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:13 AM ^
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord…
December 13th, 2022 at 9:24 AM ^
...and let perpetual light shine upon him...
December 13th, 2022 at 9:19 AM ^
One of a kind, indeed. RIP Senor Air Raid.
In a world full of carbon copies, he was an original.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:20 AM ^
College football won't be the same without him. RIP.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:21 AM ^
Peace to Coach Leach and his family.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:22 AM ^
I always enjoyed how he would go off on tangents in press conferences and interviews and talk about things totally unrelated to football. Funny and interesting guy who was always easy to root for. He truly was one of a kind. Major bummer. Sad day. Rest in peace.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:25 AM ^
He certainly up there on the list of guys I would like to have dinner and drinks with.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:25 AM ^
And sometimes he was right. And sometimes he was wrong. But he wasn't afraid to say it. I remember one instance he said players shouldn't be paid and EDSBS called him out on it. But that was him. He didn't care what people thought, he just said it.
He leaves behind so many disciples of his art, guys like Kingsbury, Heupel, Holgo et al were all influenced in some way or form by Mike. May he RIP.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:34 AM ^
I see four angels split out wide with an empty backfield.
You were a unique act in a sport that needed your irreverence.
RIP. Peace and comfort to all left behind.
December 13th, 2022 at 12:41 PM ^
and a rider on a white horse comes, his robe is dipped in gatorade, and before him trembles the defenses of the world, laid open before him. and the rider shouts, 'go long, my angels, go long!'
December 13th, 2022 at 9:24 AM ^
Sucks. RIP to a great CFB character.
did Adam James ever get let out of the janitorial closet?
December 13th, 2022 at 9:26 AM ^
End of an era, far too soon.
Prayers for his family & loved ones.
Also... I hope he requested to have CJK5H somewhere on his headstone.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:31 AM ^
I wouldn't put it past him.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:30 AM ^
CJK5H... allegedly.
RIP coach
December 13th, 2022 at 9:31 AM ^
The college football world is a lesser place without him.
He was certainly one of a kind, authentic, and a bit of a kook, but he was a good kook. Always said what was on his mind and you always knew you were in for a good laugh no matter what he said. He also had a huge hand in making the modern college football offense what it is today. What we've seen at USC, Oklahoma, and essentially all across the Big XII, along with many other places....those offenses have Mike Leach's fingerprints all over them.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:44 AM ^
Great video.. thanks for posting…
December 13th, 2022 at 11:29 AM ^
Thanks for posting this.
I loved his assessment of how the human race ends at the very end of that video. Sadly, it probably will be accurate.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:35 AM ^
RIP coach. May you enjoy all the fish sandwiches and lemonade under the best shade tree around.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:36 AM ^
His “fat little girlfriends” tangent is forever etched in memory. Truly one of a kind that said exactly what was on his mind, for better or worse.
College football lost one of the all-time greats. Condolences to his family and loved ones.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:39 AM ^
Awful news for his family. Condolences.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:41 AM ^
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.
This is the most Mike Leach thing in existence.
We lost a real one, folks. Rest in peace, Coach.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:59 AM ^
George Carlin football is war.
FF to 4:00 in case the embed code doesn't work:
December 13th, 2022 at 1:06 PM ^
Stig, great video and link. Thanks for posting.
And, just as a point of reference - I am not sure (but don’t believe) any of the “seven words” was used during this bit.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:37 PM ^
Another “totally Mike Leach” thing - and a lesser known fact about him - is that he went to law school before going into coaching. What made me think of this hear, in response to the insurgent warfare and football course, is that he wrote an article titled “A Legal Education Applied to Coaching College Football” published in the Texas Tech Law Review (http://texastechlawreview.org/wp-content/uploads/A-Legal-Education-Applied-to-Coaching-College-Football.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2zqPJ8he-_68au58bm9t7gju1zES0YbHqhQ4kH3zITDaFuSSVVNeg63ig). Leach was a true renaissance man if there ever was one in modern American. Man, will he be missed!
December 13th, 2022 at 9:44 AM ^
RIP to one of the realest #CJK5H
December 13th, 2022 at 9:46 AM ^
As the great Pirate King once said, and I quote…
”Fuck that!”
RIP Coach Leach
December 13th, 2022 at 9:48 AM ^
RIP. At least he gets to now talk shit about Craig James for all eternity with those 5 hookers.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:50 AM ^
I'm so bummed by this. Leach is obviously well known for his unique persona, but man oh man did he know how to build an offense. It definitely isn't my favorite style of football, but you cannot argue the effectiveness it has (especially at programs that may not pull in the most elite talent). It's a shame he never had a chance to completely fulfill his vision at a single program. Each passing year, it always seemed like his program was closer and closer to being a top dog. I really feel like Miss St. would have been a huge problem for the SEC in a year or two. Texas Tech was the closest he tasted and then he had the rug pulled out from under him.
Take a look at his coaching tree whenever you have a chance. I don't know if there's another guy out there who's had such a wide impact on the collegiate coaching landscape than he has over the past 20 or so years. He took the air raid from BYU and Hal Mumme, and elevated it to a completely new level. Such a unique offensive schemes is exactly why college football has always been so much more enjoyable than the NFL and he was a huge reason why. RIP to a football legend and innovator.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:51 AM ^
One of the few guys I enjoyed listening to and watching coach these young men. Damn it. RIP Coach.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:52 AM ^
Bummer, definitely an innovator on offense and entertaining as hell to listen to him talk compared to the generic coach-speak that most coaches give us in their press conferences nowadays.
And major kudos to him for being an organ donor.
December 13th, 2022 at 9:57 AM ^
terrible news to hear.
Best Wishes to his friends and family
December 13th, 2022 at 10:02 AM ^
I always enjoyed his daily College Football Playbook show that he co-hosted with Jack Arute on SiriusXM ... I think it was when he was between TTU and WSU. It was a real showcase for his wit, humor and intelligence, and would touch on an incredibly wide range of subjects that might only be tangentially related to CFB at best - but when it came to actual CFB, he was a true iconoclast for which he will be sorely missed. I'd always hoped he'd return to doing some sort of media gig when he was done coaching.
December 13th, 2022 at 10:10 AM ^
Damn, this is just sad 😞
December 13th, 2022 at 10:12 AM ^
Very sad. What a good guy. RIP.
December 13th, 2022 at 10:14 AM ^
Such terrible news. The world of college football has lost one of its best. Best wishes to his loved ones during this difficult time.
December 13th, 2022 at 10:31 AM ^
RIP to the Pirate King