The death of Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach is reverberating throughout the sports world. As the architect of the revolutionary “Air Raid” offensive scheme and a successful coach in three Power Five conferences during the 21st century, Leach left an indelible legacy on college football that lives on though an expansive coaching tree.
But that legacy encompasses far more than what he accomplished on the field at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State. Leach’s trailblazing offense came from a special mind that often strayed from the Xs and Os strategy that helped him amass a 158-107 career record.
Leach’s uniquely wired personality made him one of the most quotable college football coaches of all-time. From rants about wildlife and aliens to discussions on the merits of marriage, he often eschewed coachspeak in favor of stand-up comedy — even if his long-winded rants weren’t intended to be funny.
Beyond the wins, losses, controversies and triumphs that mark the careers of most coaches, Leach gave us so much more. As the sports world remembers the life and legacy of a college football legend, let’s look back on some of the most memorable moments from a coach who held a law degree, wrote books and taught college classes.
These are just a few of the highlights that Leach and his larger-than-life personality left us to remember.
Mike Leach’s memorable moments
Profiled by Scott Pelley on “60 Minutes” after Texas Tech’s breakthrough 2008 season, Leach explained the “pirate” mantra that came to define the Red Raiders and Leach throughout his coaching career. “I brought this sword in, this pirate sword replica, and talked about how are you going to swing your sword?” Leach told Pelley. That phrase, “Swing Your Sword” later became the title to Leach’s autobiography, and pirates remained a frequent talking point of Leach’s even after he left Texas Tech as seen in his cameo appearance on “Friday Night Lights.”
When Texas Tech needed some help in the kicking game during the 2008 season, Leach turned to the winner of a halftime promotional contest from the student body who went on to be the Red Raiders’ primary kicker for three seasons. At Mississippi State in 2021, the Bulldogs were struggling on special teams and Leach turned back to the student body for help, putting out a notice that the team would hold open kicking tryouts. He said about 40 students expressed…
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