Washington State Cougars head coach Mike Leach gestures before the first half of the 2018 Alamo Bowl on Friday, December 28, 2018, at the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, TX. Tyler Tjomsland/THE SPOKESMAN-REVIEW
Mike Leach’s demise was a blow to the entire world of football as the news was made public on Tuesday morning. Having played ‘rugby’ himself, Leach was well aware of what is necessary to make it big on the grandest stage. This is just why he was so successful in his college football stint which lasted for 21 years.
To get everyone on the same page firstly – Mike Leach played rugby for the Brigham Young University Men’s Rugby Team for 4 years from 1979 to 1983. That being said as a coach, he served for Cal Poly, College of the Desert, Pori Bears, Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Washington State.
Being a coach, who was known to focus upon each detail, he even managed to register himself as the National Coach of the Year twice in his career.
Mike Leach each began his coaching career at Cal Poly in 1987 as an assistant. The 61-year-old legendary coach was then hired by head coach Hal Mumme in 1989 to be the offensive coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan University.
He landed his first coaching in 2000 with Texas Tech, spending 10 years there and accumulating a tally of 84-43. During this time, Mike also earned a bowl game appearance, winning six out of the 10 he participated in. Then, with the Washington State, he registered a tally of 55-47, Mike appeared in the Alamo Bowl in 2018.
His last coach job was with the Mississippi State in 2020. The experienced coach, known for perfecting a team earned a winning record in two of his three season in the most difficult conference in all of college football.
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