MSU Bulldog family, college football community grieves on the death of Coach Mike Leach
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State University head football coach Michael Charles “Mike” Leach passed away last night (Monday, Dec. 12) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, of complications from heart disease. He was 61.
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 prayer from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff and soccer fans from all over the world. Thank you for sharing the joy of our beloved husband and father’s life.”
Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum said, “Coach Mike Leach cast a huge shadow not only on Mississippi State University, but on the entire college football landscape. His innovative ‘Air Raid’ offense changed the game. Mike’s sharp intellect and unvarnished honesty made him one of true coaching legends. His passing brings great sadness to our university, the Southeastern Conference and all who loved college football. I will miss Mike’s deep curiosity, his honesty and wide-open approach to excellence in all things.
“Mike’s death also highlights the fragility and serendipity of our lives. Three weeks ago Mike and I were in the dressing room together celebrating a hard-fought victory at Oxford. Mike Leach really embraced life and lived to leave no one behind.” he regrets. That is a worthy legacy. May God bless the Leach family during these days and hours. The Bulldog family’s prayers are with them,” Keenum said.
MSU Interim Director of Athletics Bracky Brett said, “We are heartbroken and devastated by the passing of Mike Leach. College football lost one of its most beloved figures today, but his legacy will live on forever. Mike’s energetic personality, influential presence and extraordinary leadership touched millions.” athletes, students, coaches, fans, family and friends for decades.
“Mike was an innovator, a trailblazer, and a visionary. She was a college football icon, a coaching legend, but an even better person,” Brett said. “We are all better for knowing Mike Leach. The thoughts and prayers of Mississippi State University and the entire Bulldog family are with his wife Sharon, his children, and the entire Leach family.”
Leach, who was named Mississippi State’s 34th head football coach on January 9, 2020, was in his third season in Starkville and 21st as a head coach. Forever a college football icon, he leaves an incredible legacy as a husband, father, friend and leader of young men.
The oldest of six siblings, Leach and his wife Sharon had four children: Janeen, Kimberly, Cody, and Kiersten.
Mike was born in Susanville, California to Frank and Sandra Leach and raised in Cody, Wyoming. After graduating with honors from BYU in 1983, where he played rugby, Leach earned a master’s degree from the United States Sports Academy and a JD from Pepperdine University, where he graduated in the top one-third of his class.
For nearly four decades, Leach had an outstanding impact on football, including thousands of student-athletes, coaches, and staff. He was a two-time National Coach of the Year, a three-time Power 5 Conference Coach of the Year, and the mastermind of an NCAA offense that set “Air Raid” records.
The achievements of Leach during his 21 years as a head coach have been long and significant. A proven winner who instilled a culture of excellence at every stop in his career, Leach compiled a 158-107 (.596) record, led his teams to 19 bowl games, produced seven seasons of at least nine wins, and won two conference division titles. , became the winningest coach in Texas Tech history, and set school records for bowl appearances at both Texas Tech (10) and Washington State (6). In 10 of those 21 seasons, Leach’s passing offense led the FBS — six at Texas Tech and four at Washington State.
One of the winningest coaches in college football history, Leach’s 158 career FBS coaching wins are second-most among active SEC coaches and fifth among active Power 5 coaches. Of the 50 most productive seasons in FBS history, 10 have come from quarterbacks coached by Leach since he was hired as head coach at Texas Tech in 2000. This included one season by Kliff Kingsbury, one by B.J. Symons (2003), one by Sonny Cumbie, three by Graham Harrell (2006-08), one by Connor Halliday, one by Luke Falk (2015) , one by Gardner Minshew II (2018) and one by Anthony Gordon (2019).
A spirited educator, mentor, historian, and lifelong student, Leach had a great admiration for academics. He instilled this in his players as his teams routinely set records for GPA and graduation rate. A master storyteller, Leach wrote a 2011 New York Times best-selling autobiography called Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and in Life. He later wrote Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior in 2014.
Leach built arguably the most significant coaching tree in college football, starting countless coaches in the profession. His history tree includes former and current head coaches Lincoln Riley, Dave Aranda, Sonny Cumbie, Dana Holgorsen, Seth Littrell, Art Briles, Ken Wilson, Neal Brown, Josh Heupel, Eric Morris, Sonny Dykes, Kliff Kingsbury, Ruffin McNeill and assistant coaches . Wes Welker, Bill Bedenbaugh, Robert Anae, Alex Grinch, Brandon Jones and more.
Leach began his coaching career in 1987 as an assistant at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo before coaching stops at College of the Desert in 1988 and as head coach in the European Football League’s Pori, Finland, in 1989.
Leach teamed up with Hal Mumme at Iowa Wesleyan College in 1989, where the duo developed the famous Air Raid offense. From 1989 to 1991, Leach served as offensive coordinator and line coach for a unit that led the NAIA in passing yards one season and finished second in the other two. Iowa Wesleyan quarterbacks passed for more than 11,000 yards and broke 26 national records during Leach’s three seasons.
Leach and Mumme spent five seasons at Valdosta State (1992-96) and then two seasons at Kentucky (1997-98).
Named the 1996 Division II Offensive Coordinator by the American Football Quarterly. Leach helped Mumme lead Valdosta State to a 40-17-1 record. The 1993 Blazer offense broke 66 school records, 22 conference records, and seven national records. In 1994, Valdosta State advanced to the Division II playoffs with Leach’s offense breaking 80 school records, 35 conference records, and seven other national marks.
As Kentucky’s offensive coordinator, Leach coached the Wildcat offense to six NCAA records, 41 Southeastern Conference records, and 116 school records in 22 games.
Leach joined Bob Stoops’ staff at Oklahoma as offensive coordinator in 199
