When news surfaced that Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach died on Monday night, numerous tributes and reflections for one of college football’s most unique personas began to pour out across social media.
As media members, fans, alums and students of the university reflected on their fondest memories of Leach, no one knew him quite better than Hal Mumme, a former Kentucky football coach and one of the creators of the “Air Raid” offense.
Leach, a protégé of Mumme’s lethal offensive scheme, served as the Wildcats offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the 1997–98 football season. But even before his days in the Bluegrass State, the two were paired together at Iowa Wesleyan and Valdosta State, creating explosive offenses that were well documented.
In grieving the loss of his dear friend, Mumme recalled several iconic moments with the “The Pirate.” At one point, Mumme thought his typical 10-hour dissertation style conversation that the two had wherever they went was a lot. That’s until one day when the 10-hour mark was eclipsed with a mammoth “15-hour phone conversation” about any and everything while Mumme was on an overnight bus trip.
“We talked about nearly everything: my ex-wife, whether there is Bigfoot or aliens,” Mumme told AL.com. “We talked about what is better: In and Out Burger or Whataburger. We talked about various forms of stupid defenses. We talked about how people migrate to politics but don’t know what they are doing.”
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And, while Leach had a myriad of topics to dive into in the discussion, Mumme recalled struggling to keep up due to the effects of Ambien, a prescribed sleeping medicine. However, Leach always kept him entertained with a good story.
“I had to fight to stay awake, but it was so entertaining,” Mumme said. “I didn’t care. He called when I was rolling outside the Jackson city limits. We hung up and were rolling into Williamsburg, Kentucky.”
While it was quite the journey, Mumme will no longer be able to have those moments with his devoted friend. But, the 70-year-old has a lifetime of memories to cherish with the man he worked with to revolutionize football’s passing offense.
Leach died of heart-related complications, his family announced. The 61-year-old had recently completed his third season as the Bulldogs coach and was preparing Mississippi State for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois on Jan. 2 in Tampa.
He suffered a heart-related medical emergency at his Starkville home Sunday morning before being airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
