RIP Mike Leach! Mississippi State University Head Football Coach dead at 61
- Mike Leach died on Monday night after suffering a heart attack at the age of 61
- A day before his death Mike Leach was hospitalized at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss.,
- Mike Leach served was better known as the American college football coach who had been serving as the head coach at Mississippi State University from 2020 to his death in 2022
Mike Leach passed away aged 61 after complications related to a heart condition
Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach took his last breath on Monday night after suffering a heart attack. He was just 61.
The University and his family member announced the tragic news on Tuesday in a joint statement. His family gushed about the late coach stating, “Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father, and grandfather.”
Mike served as the head coach at Mississippi State University from 2020 to his death in 2022. Similarly, the university praised him as an “innovator, pioneer, and visionary”. Interim athletic director Bracky Brett paid him tribute stating,
“He was a college football icon, a coaching legend but an even better person. We are all better for having known 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.”
Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey, on the other hand, said in a statement,
“The life of Mike Leach touched thousands upon thousands of people through his coaching, leadership teaching and insightful commentary. We will miss Mike. Every conversation with Mike made you think. His humor, depth and point of view continually challenged all of us to think differently and reevaluate our perspectives …”
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“We mourn his untimely passing as we offer our support to Mike’s wife, Sharon, their children and grandchildren, along with his current and former players, coaching colleagues and the Mississippi State community.”
Texas Tech also remembered the beloved with a statement, writing,
“Texas Tech Athletics joins the countless others across the game of football who mourn the passing of Mike Leach,”
“Coach Leach will be forever remembered as one of the most innovative offensive minds in college football history. His impact on Texas Tech Football alone will live on in history as one of the greatest tenures in the history of our program.”
What health issue did Mike Leach have before death?
A day before his death Mike Leach was hospitalized at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Miss., after experiencing a “personal health issue”.
The Same day, the Clarion Ledger reported that the football coach suffered a massive heart attack at his Starkville home and EMTs used a defibrillator multiple times to restore his heart rhythm.
Similarly, the unnamed sources reported that Leach was transported to a local hospital via ambulance, then flown by helicopter to the hospital in Jackson, about 125 miles away.
It is also reported that Leach had suffered seizures which could have contributed to brain damage.
What Mike Leach was best known for?
Mike Leach served was better known as the American college football coach who had been serving as the head coach at Mississippi State University from 2020 to his death in 2022.
Prior to that, Leach worked as the head coach at Texas Tech University (2000-2009) and Washington State University (2012-2019). He was also a two-time national coach of the year, conference coach of the year (3x), and the renowned offensive mind who earned a law degree, and taught a five-week course on insurgent warfare and football strategies.
Throughout his career, he earned several individual awards, including AFCA Coach of the Year (2018), 2× Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2015, 2018), George Munger Award, Woody Hayes Trophy, and Big 12 Coach of the Year (2008), and more.
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