‘He really did make a big splash on football’: Former Washington State football coach Mike Leach dies at 61
Mike Leach, an offensive-minded trailblazer and cult college football icon who spent eight seasons of a transcendent coaching career at Washington State, died on Monday night from complications from a heart attack.
Leach, who coached the Cougars from 2012-19 before accepting a position at Mississippi State, was 61. He died at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
“Mike … was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather,” Leach’s family said in a statement via the athletics department. “He was able to participate in organ donation at (University of Mississippi Medical Center) 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.”
On Sunday afternoon, Mississippi State’s athletic department confirmed Leach had been transported by ambulance to Oktibbeha County Hospital in Starkville after experiencing “personal health issues.”
Leach was then airlifted some 120 miles to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, according to the Associated Press, and by Monday morning Mississippi State deemed his condition “critical.”
On Sunday afternoon, Mississippi State’s athletic department confirmed Leach had been transported by ambulance to Oktibbeha County Hospital in Starkville after experiencing “personal health issues.”
Leach was then airlifted some 120 miles to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, according to the Associated Press, and by Monday morning Mississippi State deemed his condition “critical.”
Leach attended Mississippi State’s bowl practice Saturday.
Multiple media members based in Starkville said he dropped by a Christmas party the same evening.
Over a career that spanned five decades, Leach was credited for his work as an offensive pioneer, advancing the game with Air Raid concepts that are now used at every level of football, from Pop Warner to the National Football League.
“He did a lot for football,” said Mike Price, WSU’s head coach from 1989-2002. “There are very few teams that don’t do some of the things he introduced with the passing game. Most everybody has a play in their playbook that was a Mike Leach play.
“He really did make a big splash on football.”
Leach, who won 158 games during stops at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State, oversaw one of the most successful eras in Cougars football history.
He revived WSU’s program, achieving 55 career wins – good for third all time behind Babe Hollingbery and Price. Leach holds the second-highest winning percentage (.539) by a WSU coach who spent at least five years at the school. He also guided the Cougars to a school-record five consecutive bowl games, missing the postseason just twice.
“ ‘Gone too soon’ is the right phrasing,” WSU Athletic Director Pat Chun told KHQ in Los Angeles on Tuesday. “… Mike is such a unique person, had such a profound impact on Washington State. What he did here really set us on a course. We’re standing in L.A, we have the second-longest bowl streak in the Pac-12. Five of those started with coach Leach.”
Bill Moos, the former WSU athletic director who hired Leach in late 2011, praised the coach for bringing new life to the program.
“There was apathy in the fan base (before Leach). The facilities were subpar. There was a defeatist attitude, and we needed some sizzle,” Moos said. “I thought he’d be a great fit who could bring us into the national spotlight and entertain our fans while we were building a program. He did just that.”
Moos, who served as an athletic director at four schools during a career that spanned over three decades, said Leach “may have been my very best hire. He was a great fit.
“He was a unique guy, an amazing individual and a very good friend,” Moos added. “He was an innovative guy – very, very bright – and Washington State University was lucky to have him for the eight years they did.He put us back on the map and we’ve stayed there. We should all be very grateful.”
WSU’s 2018 team, led by Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year Gardner Minshew, beat Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl to clinch the first 11-win season in school history. Luke Falk became the Pac-12’s career leader in passing yards (14,481) and passing touchdowns (119) while playing under the coach from 2014-17, and other Leach-era quarterbacks, such as Minshew, Anthony Gordon and Connor Halliday, managed to break various school and conference passing records running the Air Raid.
Since taking over at Mississippi State, Leach had compiled a record of 19-17, leading the Bulldogs to bowl appearances in 2021 and 2022. In his last game, Leach led Mississippi State to a 24-22 upset win over No. 20 Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl rivalry. The Bulldogs also secured a win over No. 17 Texas A&M earlier this season, beating the Aggies 42-24.
Leach leaves behind one of the sport’s most impressive and extensive coaching trees. Current head coaches who either played or worked under Leach include the Arizona Cardinals’ Kliff Kingsbury, USC’s Lincoln Riley, Tennessee’s Josh Heupel, TCU’s Sonny Dykes, Houston’s Dana Holgorsen, Baylor’s Dave Aranda and West Virginia’s Neal Brown.
“There’s so many people his reach has touched and he’s obviously unique,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said at a news conference Monday. “You listen to the stories and you learn a lot about him, but you also see the success and doing it the hard, tough way.Him and his family are in all of our thoughts and prayers and you’ve got a lot, even on our coaching staff, of guys who’ve played for him. It means a lot to them, so we’re sending our prayers.”
WSU offensive coordinator Eric Morris, who accepted the head coaching job at North Texas on Tuesday, is a Leach pupil, learning the Air Raid while playing wide receiver for Leach from 2005-08. Offensive line coach Clay McGuire is back at WSU for his second stint after working under Leach from 2012-17.
Leach gained a cult following in college football circles for his whimsical humor, regularly going “viral” on social media for off-the-wall responses in interviews. It wasn’t uncommon for Leach’s news conferences to devolve into tangents or rambling stories about topics other than football, including thoughts on Pac-12 mascot battles, candy preferences and marital advice.
“We’d talk often on the phone, and half the time, it wasn’t even about football,” Price said. “He was the most unique guy I’ve ever seen in my life.”
A 21-year coaching career didn’t come without controversy. Leach was fired at Texas Tech in 2009 after being accused of inappropriate treatment toward a player. During his time at WSU, Leach was criticized for endorsing longtime friend and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at a 2016 rally in Spokane. Approximately four months after being hired at MSU, Leach was forced to issue a public apology after sharing a Twitter meme that depicted a woman knitting a noose for her husband over COVID-19 lockdown frustration.
An avid traveler and history buff, Leach authored two books, “Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life” and “Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior,” and co-taught a five-week seminar at WSU, “Insurgent Warfare and Football Strategies,” with state politician Michael Baumgartner.
“The good far outweighed the bad,” said Jack Thompson, a WSU quarterbacking great (1975-78) who shared a friendship with Leach.
“He didn’t give a hoot what people thought about him and he stuck to his guns. He did for Washington State exactly what was needed. He brought back relevance. He brought national attention. ESPN was always clamoring for a Mike Leach quote. He was such an interesting dude. Beyond that, he was a really caring guy.”
Raised in Cody, Wyoming, Leach graduated from BYU in 1983 with a bachelor’s degree in American studies. He earned a law degree from Pepperdine in 1986, then launched his collegiate coaching career, beginning in 1987 as an offensive line coach at Cal Poly.
In 1989, Leach became offensive coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan. There, he teamed with coach Hal Mumme to create the Air Raid. The two took the offense to Valdosta State in 1992, then to Kentucky in 1997.
After two seasons coordinating the Wildcats’ offense and one year as Oklahoma’s OC, Leach landed his first Division I head coaching job in 2000 when he joined Texas Tech.
“He was outstanding, and he never altered his approach to things,” Moos said.
Leach is survived by his wife, Sharon; daughters Kim, Kiersten and Janeen; son Cody and six grandchildren.
Colton Clark contributed to this story.