Local MSU fans remember Mike Leach

Dec. 14—Mississippi State University football coach Mike Leach, who died Monday night at the age of 61, is being remembered by MSU fans around East Mississippi.

"What excitement he brought to our program with the air raid offense," said Bubby Johnston, a 1975 MSU alumnus who remains involved with Clarke County's MSU Alumni Association. "He was very well thought of by a whole lot of people obviously, and he will be missed, but we will have great memories of him."

"The Pirate" will not just be remembered by college football fans in East Mississippi and around the country for plundering opponents' fields with his revolutionary air raid offense, but also for his generous spirit, his keen sense of humor and a willingness to say whatever was on his mind.

Johnston said he will forever treasure a picture he took with Leach at the MSU Riley Center after the coach was hired at MSU in 2020.

"He loved people," Johnston said. "He's an organ donor, so he will live on in several people."

Jason Mangum, a 1995 MSU graduate and football season ticket holder, was a fan of Leach's honesty. The Decatur attorney said Leach was admired by everyone in the cutthroat business of college football, which is a testament to the person that Leach was.

"It's almost like brutal honesty in an atmosphere of used car salesmen," Mangum said.

Leach was willing to speak about any topic, including Halloween candy, Pac-12 mascot supremacy and especially pirates. He even gave his opinion on the existence of Bigfoot and aliens in one presser.

Marion Mayor Larry Gill, a 2017 MSU graduate, said he appreciated Leach's willingness to speak his mind on any topic. Gill recalled a postgame interview with Alyssa Lang in which Leach encouraged the then-engaged reporter to elope in order to avoid being terrorized by family members.

"It was totally off topic after the game, and he went there," Gill said. "It was just funny to know it was more than about just football to him. It was about life and telling people some of the experiences he went through, and how to deal with those experiences."

Leach was just as memorable for his impact on the field, his teams and his sport. He helped Hal Mumme develop the air raid offense at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State and Kentucky before employing the offense as a head coach at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State.

As a head coach, Leach won 158 of his 265 games. His pass-heavy, fast-paced and field-stretching offense featured many standout college players over the years, including Tim Couch, Josh Heupel, Kliff Kingsbury, Michael Crabtree, Connor Halliday and Charles Cross.

"He always believed in that system, and it's really difficult to argue with his success because this dude was successful everywhere he went. Everywhere he went were places that traditionally have not had much success, your Texas Tech, your Washington State and your Mississippi State," Mangum said.

Leach will also be remembered for his leadership abilities. He had the ability to institute a team-centered approach by determining which players were willing to buy in and put in the work, according to Mangum.

"He brought structure to our program. We needed his type of leadership," Gill said. "Everywhere he went he left a mark, and he did the same thing at Mississippi State."

Leach went 8-4 in his final season at Mississippi State and secured a bid to the ReliaQuest Bowl, which will be played on Jan. 2, 2023. He defeated Ole Miss in November to win his first Egg Bowl.

"He was moving the program in the right direction after losing Dan Mullen, and we won the Egg Bowl this year," Gill said. "It just excites me to know that coach went out a winner."