Mike Leach, the gruff, pioneering and unfiltered college football coach who helped revolutionize the passing game with the Air Raid offense, has died after complications from a heart condition, Mississippi State said Tuesday. He was 61.
Leach, who was in his third season as head coach at Mississippi State, fell ill Sunday at his home in Starkville, Miss. He was treated at a local hospital before being airlifted to University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, about 120 miles away.
Coaches, fans and others around the world reacted to the coach’s death and shared some great stories:
RIP to a man who changed this game and so many lives within it. pic.twitter.com/q4w2gDOJO0
— Coach Kirby Smart (@KirbySmartUGA) December 13, 2022
Prayers to the Leach family!🙏🏽🙏🏽 True legend of the game!
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) December 13, 2022
Sending our love and prayers to the Leach family and the entire Mississippi State community.
— Georgia Bulldogs (@UGAAthletics) December 13, 2022
Statement from @SEC Commissioner @GregSankey. pic.twitter.com/5K9JeBvfu8
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) December 13, 2022
On behalf of our entire program and community, we offer our most sincere condolences to Coach Leach’s family, friends and his current and former players and staff. College football will not be the same without him. RIP, Coach. 🙏 https://t.co/cJ8Fe2AHit
— Georgia Tech Football (@GeorgiaTechFB) December 13, 2022
There will never be another Mike Leach. pic.twitter.com/8cDLTGtkhy
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 13, 2022
I first met Mike Leach when I was a junior in high school and he was an assistant at Iowa Wesleyan back in 1991. He recruited 3 of my teammates and then one of them followed him to Valdosta State. Eccentric, visionary, ironic. He will be missed. RIP pic.twitter.com/rEE1KJhF4s
— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) December 13, 2022
Thread: My favorite Mike Leach story.
— George Stoia III (@GeorgeStoia) December 12, 2022
My dad is watching OU practice in 1999. He starts talking to Leach. Practice ends and all the coaches start jogging back to the facility. My dad asks, “need a ride?” Leach says, “Hell yeah, I ain’t jogging.”
So he gets in my dad’s car.
So incredibly sad. Mike Leach was the best. Just a unique, awesome person. https://t.co/3ekgicv3SG
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 13, 2022
There will never be another one quite like Mike Leach.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 13, 2022
A true college football original. pic.twitter.com/ZnpJwMXT2q
Mike Leach was 1-of-1. He was one of the best characters in sports and was an innovator that helped change football. In a world where coaches are corporate and mostly the same, he stood out because he was genuinely himself.
— Brandon Walker (@BFW) December 13, 2022
This is a terrible day for college football.
MSU Bulldog family, college football community mourns the death of Coach Mike Leachhttps://t.co/LzWyLyX3xM
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) December 13, 2022
Prayers for our dear friend and favorite OU Off. coordinator Mike Leach, Sharon and his family. pic.twitter.com/gWk7aXyeeS
— Bob Stoops (@CoachBobStoops) December 12, 2022
Crushed to hear that Mike Leach died. So smart. So funny. I would regularly watch his pressers just for kicks.
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) December 13, 2022
What an awful thing. Thinking about his loved ones.
As a football fan I am so sad to hear of the passing of Mike Leach. He was a coach that seemed to be liked by everyone. Such a loss, not to just football, but the world needs more fun people. Prayers to the @HailStateFB team. #MississippiState #MikeLeach
— Bethany Danielle (@TnDani) December 13, 2022
I got to meet Mike Leach twice.
— Anna Schumann 🌵 (@heyyallitsanna) December 13, 2022
The first time, I was a student at Tech, interviewing him about “Raiderville,” the city of students camped outside the stadium to get the best seats to big games.
“I'd like to join them, but I have to coach this game.”https://t.co/qrSse9Nd3c
This sums up Mike Leach’s time at Texas Tech really well. The Pirate changed college football, and we had a front row seat. Rest In Peace, Coach. #SwingYourSword https://t.co/jfFmI954mQ
— David Robinett (@DRobSports) December 13, 2022
Heartbroken. Prayers for the entire Leach family and @HailStateFB pic.twitter.com/pluR0EMCDN
— Josh Heupel (@coachjoshheupel) December 13, 2022
My favorite thing Mike Leach did at Washington State was choose Jamal Morrow to be team captain solely based on his performance on "The Price is Right" pic.twitter.com/uV3I8B6GPg
— Sam Cooper (@SamDCooper) December 13, 2022
Compiled a thread of my favorite Mike Leach moments. Hope you all enjoy. RIP Coach. First, his thoughts on candy pic.twitter.com/Ly69VfZnwz
— Connor Schmidling (@CSchmidling) December 13, 2022
I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve been wiping away tears this morning
— Thor Nystrom (@thorku) December 13, 2022
I come across this video and start laughing through them — Mike Leach comforting me about his own death
pic.twitter.com/hnkFgvVVDw
Mike Leach truly was the man. RIP coach pic.twitter.com/qiLeRmA2ne
— Megan (@MeganMakinMoney) December 13, 2022
We're saddened to learn of the passing of Mike Leach, who served as our Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach from 1997-1998.
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) December 13, 2022
We send our deepest condolences to Coach Leach and the @HailStateFB family. pic.twitter.com/RIuWy6jMrO
R.I.P Coach Mike Leach pic.twitter.com/L6YcdCIvs8
— Luther Luke Campbell (@unclelukereal1) December 13, 2022
Condolences to Mike Leach’s family. I’ll never forget @CollegeGameDay trip to Pullman. He asked me to be on his coach’s show. We might’ve talked ball. Gave me my first sip of Cuban coffee. Expounded on Geronimo as a leader. Fine man. Influential coach. We will miss him. pic.twitter.com/FBQVKgGeMu
— Rece Davis (@ReceDavis) December 13, 2022
Forever a Coug. All of us in Coug Nation mourn the passing of Coach Mike Leach. We send our sincerest condolences to his wife Sharon and the entire Leach family.https://t.co/gYva9VEVkA pic.twitter.com/83UCqOUd5R
— Washington State Athletics (@WSUCougars) December 13, 2022
Mike Leach was a true innovator and his impact on the game of college football can be seen all across the country. I have a deep respect for what he was able to accomplish during his career and how he mentored and developed numerous coaches in our profession.
— Mel Tucker (@Coach_mtucker) December 13, 2022
Today is a sad day in the world of college football. Mike Leach was an innovative football mind, who kept us on our toes. I always enjoyed facing off with him over the years.
— Mack Brown (@CoachMackBrown) December 13, 2022
Our thoughts and prayers are with Mike's family and friends during this difficult time. 🙏💙🙏
Mike Leach had a law degree but never practiced law.
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) December 13, 2022
He had strong opinions about shrunken heads, ancient military tactics and cargo shorts.
He also changed the way nearly everyone at every level of football plays offense.
Goodbye to one of one.https://t.co/mTT6JlCSF2 pic.twitter.com/0NEyEALsaw
"[Mike Leach was] the smartest coach I've ever been around. ... He's one of the truly irreplaceable figures in the history of the game. Records are one thing ... but the legacy that one leaves behind is what I heard from his many friends and coaching colleagues."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 13, 2022
—@finebaum pic.twitter.com/JwIamgWCnW
It’s no secret that Mike Leach was a big fan of Ralphie the Buffalo and this clip was one of his best
— Barstool Colorado (@CUBarstool) December 13, 2022
Truly one of a kind. RIP Pirate 🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/ff0SeBhfT8
Still can’t believe it’s real that Coach Mike Leach is gone. I saw this photo in a WSU Facebook group I am in and had to repost this. #GoCougs #HailState #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/PNjU3MreiA
— Scott Brewster (@scottmbrewster) December 13, 2022
This has to be a Top 5 Mike Leach story from Lincoln Riley! Football needs more personalities like him! 🙏@MitchMossRadio @paulyhoward @VSiNLive #MikeLeach #RIPMikeLeach pic.twitter.com/cyvI4ficje
— Eric Berg (@BetsByBerg) December 13, 2022
Mike Leach was known for his coaching style and his eccentric soundbites.
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) December 13, 2022
Watch as he weighed in on the age-old debate: are hot dogs sandwiches? pic.twitter.com/HBBDXkpWnA
Mike Leach thought of things no one else did. His pressers often spanned an hour, 15% about football.
— Alyssa Charlston (@Alyssacharlston) December 13, 2022
I'm grateful for weekly adventures into the wilderness of his brain when he was at WSU. A rare coach that turned you into a little kid sitting in front of a great storyteller. https://t.co/rMsyCzv8Lh
Auburn honoring the memory of Mike Leach in new football facility. pic.twitter.com/ZAyG5cQg7D
— Brian Stultz (@brianjstultz) December 13, 2022
Mike Leach was more than an incredible, innovative, impactful, successful, popular football coach. He was all that as a husband to Sharon and a father to Janeen, Kimberly, Cody & Kiersten! Brilliant, thoughtful, kind man who taught me so much in so many different ways. RIP Coach! pic.twitter.com/blaNBbhLfi
— Dana Holgorsen (@Holgorsendana) December 13, 2022
We mourn the loss of Coach Mike Leach. Our thoughts are with his family and the Mississippi State football community.@KliffKingsbury shared his thoughts on the passing of his college coach. pic.twitter.com/Qb87WvqqFX
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 13, 2022
No coach I’ve ever covered possessed the uniqueness of Mike Leach.
— Bonnie Bernstein (@BonnieBernstein) December 13, 2022
His quirkiness, his I-don’t-care-what-you-think candor. Refreshing. At times controversial. Yet balanced by his offensive genius and passion for molding young men.
You will be missed, sir. #RIPMikeLeach pic.twitter.com/2LIzmsDLL3
Here’s Lane Kiffin on Mike Leach’s passing: pic.twitter.com/7jngQuFwdf
— David Eckert (@davideckert98) December 13, 2022
RIP. You will be missed, Pirate 🏴☠️ pic.twitter.com/rja53aYG3s
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) December 13, 2022
My friend Mike Leach moved on yesterday. One of the most curious, inventive, independent minded wild men to ever walk the earth. He was a gem like no other. Put a prayer up there for his his wife Sharon and their kids. pic.twitter.com/YnecDHFapr
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) December 13, 2022
The Associated Press contributed information to this report.
About the Author
From the sports staff of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
