Shortly after news of Mississippi State coach Mike Leach’s death was released Tuesday morning, tributes flooded out from across the football world paying tribute to the innovative and charismatic figure. Among them was an emotional video released Tuesday evening by the Mississippi State official Twitter account, fittingly captioned, “One of the best to ever do it.”
Leach had just completed his third season as Mississippi State’s coach and was preparing his team 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.
“Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity,” his family said in a statement released by Mississippi State. “We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father’s life.”
Leach arrived at Mississippi State in 2020 and guided the Bulldogs to a 19–17 record over the past three seasons. He is renowned as one of the developers of the pass-heavy Air Raid offense, which he helped mold under coach Hal Mumme at multiple stops over the course of a decade.
In addition to his accomplishments with his own teams, many of Leach’s former players and assistants have gone on to their own successful head coaching careers. That group includes Lincoln Riley, Sonny Dykes, Dave Aranda, Dana Holgorsen and Kliff Kingsbury.
