STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University head football coach Michael Charles “Mike” Leach died last night (Monday, Dec. 12) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, at following cardiac complications. He was 61 years old.
In a statement, the Leach family said: “Mike was a generous and caring husband, father and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation to UMMC as a final act of charity. We are sustained and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing the joy of the life of our beloved husband and father.
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” attack was a game-changer. Mike’s keen intellect and unvarnished candor have made him one of the nation’s 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, honesty and open approach to the pursuit of excellence in all things.
“Mike’s death also underscores the fragility and uncertainty in our lives. Three weeks ago Mike and I were together in the locker room celebrating a hard-fought win at Oxford. mike leach truly embraced life and lived in a way that left no regrets. It is a legacy worthy of the name. May God bless the Leach family during these days and these hours. The Bulldog family’s prayers are with them,” Keenum said.
MSU Acting Director of Athletics Bracky Brett said: “We are heartbroken and devastated by the passing of mike leach. College football has lost one of its most beloved figures today, but his legacy will last forever. Mike’s energetic personality, influential presence and extraordinary leadership have touched millions of athletes, students, coaches, fans, families and friends for decades.
“Mike was an innovator, a trailblazer and a visionary. He was a college football icon, a coaching legend, but an even better person,” Brett said. “We are all better off to have known mike leach. The thoughts and prayers of Mississippi State University and the entire Bulldog family go out to his wife Sharon, his children, and the entire Leach family.”
Leach, named 34th from Mississippi Statee head football coach on January 9, 2020, was completing his third season at Starkville and 21st as head coach. Forever a college football icon, he leaves an incredible legacy as a husband, father, friend and leader of young men.
The eldest of six siblings, Leach and his wife Sharon shared four children: Janeen, Kimberly, Cody and Kiersten.
Born in Susanville, California to Frank and Sandra Leach, Mike grew up in Cody, Wyoming. After graduating with honors from BYU in 1983 where he played rugby, Leach earned a master’s degree from the US Sports Academy and his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University, where he graduated in the first third of his class.
For nearly four decades, Leach had an unparalleled 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 behind the NCAA record-breaking “Air Raid” offense.
Leach’s accomplishments in his 21 years as a head coach have been long and distinguished. A proven winner who established a culture of excellence at every stage of his career, Leach compiled a record of 158-107 (.596), guided his teams to 19 bowl games, produced seven seasons of at least nine wins , won two conference division titles, became the winningest coach in Texas Tech history, and set school records for bowl appearances at Texas Tech (10) and Washington State ( 6). In 10 of those 21 seasons, Leach’s passing offense has led the FBS — six at Texas Tech and four at Washington State.
One of the most successful coaches in college football history, Leach’s 158 career wins as an FBS coach are second among active SEC coaches and fifth among active Power 5 coaches. Of the 50 most productive passing yardage 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 from Kliff Kingsbury, one from BJ 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 passionate educator, mentor, historian and lifelong learner, Leach had a great admiration for academics. He instilled this in his players, as his teams routinely set GPA and graduation rate records. A masterful storyteller, Leach authored a 2011 New York Times bestselling autobiography titled Swing Your Sword: leading the charge in football and in life. He later wrote Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior in 2014.
Leach has built arguably the largest coaching tree in college football, giving countless coaches their start in the profession. Its 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, etc.
Leach began his coaching career in 1987 as an assistant at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo before coaching saves at College of the Desert in 1988 and as European Football League head coach at Pori, Finland, in 1989.
Leach partnered with Hal Mumme at Iowa Wesleyan College in 1989, where the duo developed the famous Air Raid attack. From 1989 to 1991, Leach served as offensive coordinator and line coach for a unit that led the NAIA in passing distance one season and was second the other two. The Iowa Wesleyan quarterbacks rushed for more than 11,000 yards in Leach’s three seasons and broke 26 national records.
Leach and Mumme then spent five seasons at Valdosta State (1992-96) and then two seasons at Kentucky (1997-98).
Named Division II Offensive Coordinator of the Year in 1996 by American Football Quarterly magazine, 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 qualified for 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 1999. He led an earlier offense that went from one of the Big 12 conference’s worst to one of its best. In just one year, the OU’s total offense count went from 293.3 to 427.2 yards per game. Under Leach, the Oklahoma offense set six Big 12 Conference records and 17 school records.
Leach then spent 10 seasons as a head coach at Texas Tech (2000-09) where his teams produced bowl appearances for 10 years. He compiled a school-record 84 wins, a school-record five bowl wins, and eight straight seasons of at least eight wins.
Architect of the nation’s most prolific passing offense, Leach received three National Coach of the Year awards in 2008 – the Woody Hayes Award, Howie Long/Fieldturf Coach of the Year and the George Munger Award. . Leach’s offense won six NCAA passing titles and three total offense titles during his 10 seasons in Lubbock.
Leach led Texas Tech to one of the most memorable seasons in school history in 2008 as the team set a program record with 11 regular season wins en route to an 11-2 record. . The win tally tied the mark, previously set by the 1953 and 1973 Red Raider teams. Numerous accolades poured in from across the country as four unprecedented players earned first-team All-America status, in addition of Leach’s three Coach of the Year honors. Harrell, offensive tackle Rylan Reed and offensive guard Brandon Carter each earned first-team honors, while wide receiver Michael Crabtree was honored as a unanimous All-American and Biletnikoff Award winner for the second consecutive season. .
A total of 18 players were drafted to Texas Tech under Leach’s watch, and 21 others signed free agent contracts. In the spring of 2009, four players were selected in the first four rounds of the NFL Draft, marking the most successful draft for Texas Tech in the Leach era.
The program also advanced academically under Leach. Over its 10 years, Texas Tech has been recognized as one of the top institutions in the nation for consistently exceeding a 70% graduation rate, according to the AFCA.
Following his tenure at Texas Tech, Leach spent eight seasons at the helm of Washington State where he compiled a 55-47 (.539) record and was named the American’s 2018 National Coach of the Year. Football Coaches Association and twice Pac-12. Coach of the Year (2015, 2018). Leach led the WSU to a school-record six bowl appearances and became the first coach in school history to lead the Cougars to five consecutive bowl games. They have also led the nation in passing offense in four of his last six seasons in charge.
The 2018 campaign saw Leach produce one of the best coaching performances as WSU posted its first 11-win season in school history and a share of the Pac-12 North division. The Cougars have been ranked in the top 13 in every college football playoff rankings, including four straight weeks at No. 8. WSU capped the season with a victory over Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl and finished n #10 in Associated Press and Coaches polls. . The senior quarterback and Mississippi native Minshew captivated the nation, leading the FBS in passing yards per game (367.6).
In the spring of 2019, Leach taught a five-week course at WSU on insurgent warfare and football strategies, with former Washington State Senator Michael Baumgartner.
Leach arrived in Starkville on January 9, 2020, as 34esoccer head coach. He led the Bulldogs to a 19-17 record, including an 8-4 mark in 2022, and bowl appearances in all three seasons. Leach’s offense has led the SEC to skip each of the past two seasons. The Bulldogs beat seven AP Top 25 opponents during Leach’s tenure at MSU, who was tied for third by a Bulldogs head coach. Leach coached MSU to its two biggest comebacks in program history in 2021.