Mississippi State said Tuesday that the college football coach who helped change the game with the Air Raid offense has passed away. He was older than 60.
The head coach at Mississippi State fell ill at his home on Sunday. He was flown to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson after being treated at a local hospital.
Mike was a loving husband and father. The family said that he was able to donate his organs as a final act of charity. A lot of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world are supporting us. We would like to thank you for sharing our joy.
In 21 seasons as a head coach, he went 158-107.
Those who worked with him said that he was coughing uncontrollably at times during news conferences but seemed to be getting better.
Many who knew him were stunned by the news that he had fallen gravely ill and were praying for his recovery.
His impact on all levels of football over the last 20 years will continue for years to come.
One of the nation's true coaching legends was made possible by Mike's unvarnished candor. His passing has brought sadness to our university, to the SEC, and to all who loved college football. Mike had a wide open approach to pursuing excellence in all things.
He wrote a book about Geronimo, had a passion for pirates and was known for his off-the- cuff news conferences.
Politics, wedding planning, and hypothetical mascot fights were just some of the topics that would be covered in an interview with Leach. Before Donald Trump ran for president, he was a good friend of his.
He traveled around the world and was always curious. Those who stepped outside of their expertise were most appreciated by him.
Michael Jordan was condemned a lot for playing baseball. I liked that, I told the AP last spring. You are going to die in 100 years. You know that a lot of people are going to be watching you while you do it, and that you have mastered basketball, so you are going to try to master something else, and stick your neck out, and know that a lot of people are going to be watching you. I think it was great.
At some programs success was not always easy. The Air Raid, a relatively simple offense that he did not invent, was used by his quarterbacks to put up huge passing statistics.
He was good at the X's and O's even though he liked digging into topics other than football.
Four of the top six best passing seasons in college football history were by quarterbacks who played for the same school.
He called plays from a folded piece of paper smaller than an index card.
You need to limit what you teach and what you do. The Air Raid has an economical way of doing things.
He was known for butting heads with authority, and he also criticized players for not being tough enough.
His first head coaching job went to someone else. He went 84-43 with the Red Raiders, never having a losing season and reaching No. 2 in the country in 2008 with a team that went 11-2 and tied a school record for victories.
He was fired by Texas Tech in December of 2009, after being accused of mistreating a player who had suffered a concussion.
He sued Texas Tech for wrongful dismissal after clashing with his bosses. The school was protected by the law, but that didn't stop him from fighting it. The lawsuit against Craig James was dismissed.
The coach was out of a job for two years. He and his wife, Sharon, bought a home in Key West, Florida, where he spent a lot of time riding his bike.
The beloved home in the Keys was never given up by him.
Washington State had a new head coach in the year 2012. The Texas Tech teams looked very much like the Houston team. Washington State went 11-2 and was ranked as high as 7 in the country.
He took over at Mississippi State after moving to the SEC.
In his very first game against LSU, the Georgia quarterback set an SEC record for yards passing by a freshman.
He was born in Susanville, California, and grew up in Wyoming. He was raised as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and went to college.
When he was in college, it was difficult for him to narrow down what to study.
At a time when most teams were still run-heavy, watching the innovative passing attack used by then- Cougars coach LaVellEdwards made him want to draw up plays.
He found his muse at Iowa Wesleyan when he was a college coach. The Air Raid was invented by Hal Mumme. It began to change the way football was played with the help of Leach.
During his time at the SEC at Kentucky, he broke passing records. He got his own program at Texas Tech after spending a season as Oklahoma's offensive coach.
The Air Raid spread like wildfire in the Big 12.
USC's Lincoln Riley is one of the coaches in the tree.
A 24-22 victory over Mississippi in the Egg Bowl was one of the highlights of Mississippi State's season. He played his last game.
His family includes his wife and four children.
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