“Heartbreaking” – Mike Leach, Mississippi State’s HC passes away leaving football fans in a state of grief
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Mike Leach has passed away due to heart issues. IMAGE: USATSI
Today marks a dark day for all football fans. Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach has passed away at the age of 61, the legendary coach suffered complications arising out of a heart issue on Sunday Morning and was taken to the nearest hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. The coach was in critical condition and had the closest of his kin by his side when he passed away on Monday night.
Mike Leach had been the Head Coach of Mississippi State University for nearly three seasons following his role at Texas Tech and Washington State. His role at Texas Tech witnessed the Air Raid offense transforming modern college football as we know it. To show the impact left by Leach, just take a look at this fact.
Lincoln Riley, Sonny Dukes, Dana Holgorsen, Dave Aranda, Kliff Kingsbury, and Josh Heupel all worked or played for teams that Mike Leach coached. Mississippi State’s president, Mark Keenum, released a statement following the demise of the coach. “Coach Mike Leach cast a tremendous shadow not just over Mississippi State University, but over the entire college football landscape. His innovative ‘Air Raid’ offense changed the game. Mike’s Keen intellect and unvarnished candor made him one of the nation’s true coaching legends. His passing brings great sadness to our university, to the Southeastern Conference, and to all who loved college football.”
Mike Leach will fondly be remembered as a coach who never shied away from taking risks:
Mike Leach’s first Head Coaching role was at Texas Tech in 2000 after he gained experience as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma for one season. He also played a pivotal role at Kentucky, where he ran the offense for two seasons. The one thing that Leach will always be remembered for is his Air Raid offense.
The Air Raid was a strategy copied by a lot of offensive coordinators in the 2000s after Texas Tech QBs ended up putting up mind-blowing passing stats consistently. Though it may have a rather complex name, the Air Raid is as simple as it could get. It involves completing passes to wideouts in open space through the means of quick and short throws over long passes.
Following the demise of Mike Leach, fans were stricken with grief and took to Twitter to express their affection for the coach:
Gone but never forgotten.
The man deserves a salute after what he has accomplished.
But that mistake gave him an opportunity to progress in his career. He was truly an offensive genius.
Mike Leach was a great man, a great coach, and an offensive mastermind. Fans will always fondly remember him and respect him for his contributions to the game. May God rest his soul in peace.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2257 Articles Published)