Mike Leach is gone at age 61. Shocking. Unfair. An irretrievable loss.
That Mike Leach could win at 3 of the most challenging jobs in the Power 5 (Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State) is enough to put him on the Mount Rushmore of college coaches. Sure, perhaps Nick Saban is the college GOAT but have you noticed where Alabama’s recruiting classes ranked every year. Sure, Saban also won a national championship at LSU but talent down on the Bayou is always as ample as Dolly Parton’s cleavage.
I doubt that you could ever find one of Leach’s recruiting classes in the Top 25 but that just made his magic that much more singular. He won 11 games at Texas Tech in 2008 before being forced out by yelps from the family of Craig James. After Leach’s firing, football in Lubbock went into hibernation for the next decade . He resurfaced on the Palouse and after a rough 2 years, also got Wazzu to an 11-win season.
The Odyssey is happy for the Leach legacy that his last game coached was a 24-22 thriller over hated arch rival, Ole Miss, in Thanksgiving’s Egg Bowl. Leach was an innovative pioneer in the Air Raid passing offense. All great stuff BUT what really set Leach apart were his outlook on life and his press conferences. Both various shades of mesmerizing. He had a fixation on pirates and wisely counseled couples on the wisdom of eloping in lieu of a formal wedding. He was so unconventional and so hilarious!! How many coaches have commented on his team’s “fat little girlfriends?” If he had used his law degree, Leach would have been a brilliant lawyer. He also would have been excellent as a stand up comedian.
Leach’s teams could be maddening in two regards. His disdain of the run game caused occasional issues when his offenses were in the Red Zone, facing a compressed field. Occasionally, the lack of said run game was costly in the sense that his offense could not “run out the clock” with a lead. The most memorable Leach defeat in this regard was the 2013 New Mexico Bowl. Washington State had a 45-30 lead over Colorado State with slightly over 4 minutes to play. An inability to run the ball and a costly fumble cost dearly as the Rams came back for a stunning 48-45 win. Sadly, Leach’s 3 Mississippi State teams were each steamrolled by the Nick Saban machine. A few pimples on a terrific body of work.
However, his legacy will easily transcend his solid won-loss record. Given that the Odyssey’s Godmother is currently in hospice at age 96, Leach might have had one final blessing. His death was quick and, hopefully, relatively painless. His death will never erase his memory. RIP, my friend.