You may know Mike Leach’s eclectic off-the-field personalities and interests. From the pirates, to the wedding advice, to the candy opinions. As onlookers, we minored in his personality quirks, while those around him every day majored in them. And over the past week since Leach’s death, those who coached alongside him and played for him have filled the void with remembrances of the person they lost—the sharp edges of annoyance dull into fondness and one thinks of the moments they’d give anything to relive.
Luke Falk wants to take you back to the Washington State QB meeting room, like many former players would. What sticks with him more than the touchdowns or interceptions are the little behind-the-scenes moments. There are two people Falk wishes were still with him. One is “Papa Leach,” Falk’s nickname for the former Washington State, Texas Tech and Mississippi State head coach; the other is Tyler Hilinski, Falk’s former QB battery mate who died in 2018.
“He knew that I didn’t like when Leach would go on a tangent about the same story that we had heard over and over again and make us late for practice,” Falk says. “Leach was never on time to any meeting. And I always was like, ‘If you're on time, you’re 10 minutes late.’ And I always wanted to get to practice on time to do my Tom House warmup.
