&sq=&lang=&file=File:Question_book-new.svg){kind=small} | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2022) |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:LeachMike092212-18_(cropped).JPG) Leach in 2012 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 9, 1961 Susanville, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 12, 2022 (aged 61) Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Brigham Young University (BA) Pepperdine University (JD) United States Sports Academy (MS) |
| Playing career | |
| Rugby | |
| 1979–1983 | BYU |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1987 | Cal Poly (OL) |
| 1988 | Desert (LB) |
| 1989 | Pori Bears |
| 1989–1991 | Iowa Wesleyan (OC/OL) |
| 1992–1993 | Valdosta State (OC/WR/QB) |
| 1994–1996 | Valdosta State (OC/OL) |
| 1997–1998 | Kentucky (OC/QB) |
| 1999 | Oklahoma (OC/QB) |
| 2000–2009 | Texas Tech |
| 2012–2019 | Washington State |
| 2020–2022 | Mississippi State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 158–107 |
| Bowls | 8–9 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
Michael Charles Leach (March 9, 1961 – December 12, 2022) was an American college football coach who primarily coached at the NCAA Division I FBS level. Nicknamed "The Pirate", he was a two-time national coach of the year, three-time conference coach of the year and the mastermind behind the NCAA record-setting air raid offense. He was the head coach at Texas Tech University from 2000 to 2009, where he became the winningest coach in school history.[1] After Texas Tech, he coached at Washington State University from 2012 to 2019, where he recorded the third-most wins of any coach in school history.[2] He then coached at Mississippi State University from 2020 until his death in 2022.[3]
Leach was known for directing offenses using lots of passing to several receivers, in a spread system known as the air raid, which Leach developed with Hal Mumme when Mumme was head coach and Leach was offensive coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State, and Kentucky in the 1990s. Leach's offenses with Mumme, and later as a head coach himself, have broken numerous school and NCAA records.[4] On eighteen occasions, Leach led his unranked team to victory over a team ranked in the AP poll, which is the most in the AP era.[5]
- ^ "Mike Leach Named Mississippi State's 34th Head Football Coach". Mississippi State Bulldogs Athletics. January 9, 2020. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ Lawson, Theo (January 9, 2020). "After eight seasons, Mike Leach leaving Washington State to coach at Mississippi State". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
- ^ "Statement From Mississippi State University on Head Football Coach Mike Leach". Mississippi State Bulldogs Athletics. December 11, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
- ^ Trotter, Jake (November 15, 2008). "OU football: A look at TT's 'genius'". The Oklahoman. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
- ^ Low, Chris; Rittenberg, Adam; Wilson, Dave (December 13, 2022). "Mississippi State coach Mike Leach dies after hospitalization". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved December 13, 2022.