Bob Stoops pays tribute to ex-OU football assistant coach Mike Leach at memorial service

Former OU football coach Bob Stoops speaks at Mike Leach memorial

Each of the 13 speakers who climbed the steps to the flower-adorned podium Tuesday inside Mississippi State’s Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville to pay tribute to Mike Leach offered the audience an anecdote that filled the bowl with laughter.

The colors were dull, and the faces of the football heavyweights who pointed their fleet of private jets toward Starkville to remember Leach, who died on Dec. 12 at the age of 61, were solemn.

But there was joy shared by those inside The Hump for the two-hour celebration of Leach’s life. The stories Leach had gifted those who spoke made it so.

“He had time for everyone, and also very little concept of time,” said longtime Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who hired Leach as his offensive coordinator in Norman in 1999.

The entire Mississippi State football team and coaching staff were also in attendance. MSU is moving forward and preparing to play in the ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois on Jan. 2.

"He would be glad and proud that you're playing in that game,” said Stoops.

More:How two of college football's biggest brands take unique approach to name, image and likeness

USC coach Lincoln Riley, who started his coaching career under Leach at Texas Tech, later shared a story about riding in a car with Leach one day. Leach, who was driving, got a call. He showed Riley the caller ID. It was Texas fan, actor and Leach friend Matthew McConaughey.

As Leach and McConaughey spoke, Leach unknowingly (to him) nearly ran a truck off the road. The truck driver came back alongside Leach and flipped him off. Leach, immersed in the phone call and unaware of what he had done, opened the door window, waved to the truck driver and introduced himself.

"Rest in peace, my friend," Riley said. "There will never be another one like you."

AWARDS: North Carolina Central junior Khalil Baker was named the winner of the inaugural Aeneas Williams Award, given to the nation's best defensive back in HBCU Division I college football. He record 61 tackles with four interceptions this season, leading the Eagles toe HBCU national title by beating Jackson State last Saturday. The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame will honor Baker at the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Banquet on Feb. 7.

ILLINOIS: The Illini signed coach Bret Bielema to a new six-year contract through 2028 on Tuesday, a big reward for transforming a struggling program into a winner in his second season. Bielema, 13-11 with Illinois, gets a bump in salary from $4.2 million to $6 million.

MYRTLE BEACH BOWL: Marshall ended the season with its fifth straight win in a 28-14 victory over UConn on Monday in Conway, S.C. The Thundering Herd were up 28-0 midway through the third quarter before the Huskies rallied with two rushing touchdowns by Victor Rosa. UConn drove to the Marshall 8 with five minutes left, but quarterback Zion Turner threw his third interception and Marshall ran out the clock to end its three-game bowl losing streak.

Eagles coach refuses to rule out injured QB Hurts vs Cowboys

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has not been ruled out to play Saturday against the Cowboys, even as the former OU standout and current NFL MVP candidate deals with a sprained right shoulder.

Hurts injured his throwing shoulder when he was driven into the ground on a tackle in a win over Chicago on Sunday that moved the Eagles to 13-1. Hurts was diagnosed with the shoulder injury on Monday.

“I do not put it past Jalen Hurts, I don't put anything past Jalen Hurts as far as his physical and mental toughness,” coach Nick Sirianni said Tuesday. “There's a chance he can play this week.”

The 24-year-old morphed into a serious NFL MVP candidate in his second season as a starter. Hurts has thrown 22 touchdowns and has 3,472 yards passing, and he has rushed for 747 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The Eagles need one more win to clinch the NFC East and secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They would turn to backup QB Gardner Minshew to start against Dallas if Hurts isn't ready to play.

LATE MONDAY: A.J. Dillon ran for two scores, Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown pass to Aaron Jones and the Green Bay Packers kept their playoff hopes afloat with a 24-12 victory over the Los Angeles Rams. Dillon put Green Bay ahead for good with an 8-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and also scored from 1 yard out in the third period. He left midway through the second half to be evaluated for a concussion. Rodgers went 22 of 30 for 229 yards with a touchdown and interception to win his ninth straight “Monday Night Football” start.

Former OU quarterback Baker Mayfield made his first Rams start with injuries sidelining Matthew Stafford and John Wolford. Mayfield had rallied the Rams to a 17-16 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 8, less than 48 hours after they had claimed him off waivers from Carolina. Mayfield wasn’t as effective Monday, going 12 of 21 for 111 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Extra points

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Taylen Collins recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 15 rebounds to lead Oklahoma State past Air Force 62-44 on Tuesday at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater. Naomie Alnatas added 10 points to go with nine assists for OSU (10-2), while Claire Chastain scored 14, Terryn Milton had 12 and Keys finished with 10. Kamri Heath lead Air Force (5-7) with 21 points.

GOLF: The Masters is keeping its criteria the same for next year. That means 16 players from Saudi-funded LIV Golf will be at Augusta National to compete for a green jacket. Club chairman Fred Ridley says he's disappointed in the fractured nature of golf. But he says the focus of the Masters is to bring the top players together from around the world. The 16 players from LIV Golf include six former champions and six who qualify by being in the top 50 in the world ranking. Ridley said the club still reserves the right to alter its criteria for 2024.

PRO BASKETBALL: Mortgage executive Mat Ishbia has agreed in principle to buy the Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury from the embattled owner Robert Sarver for $4 billion, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

—Staff and wire reports

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Bob Stoops pays tribute to ex-OU football OC Mike Leach at memorial