The Mike Leach legend grows

Wonder how this guy would do in a bigger media market?

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3385098

 

Leach is a riot.

There were several major D-1 head coaches doing some recruiting out here and they were all dressed to the nines in their big-boy suits......Leach walks in the room wearing faded-out blue jeans, a red Texas Tech Under Armour pull-over and spitting his dip into a Kwik-Shop coffee cup.

Dude is funny as hell.

 

...and he's still in Lubbock.

 

I'm certain it's a d_B, but it's too good not to throw out there again:

Mike Leach does the weather

“Now on Monday, it says bad stuff; a serious storm. Well, you’re going to be dead in 100 years anyways. Live dangerously.”

"Expect sun ... don't be a coward."

"My favorite weather pattern happens to be when it rains mud."

 

Where he will be for the next 30 years. Tech will be good for 7 or 8 wins and a mid-level bowl almost every year with that system he runs, and nobody's going to line up to lure him away.

 

He's entertaining for a little while, but I wouldn't want to cover him every day.

For one thing, he designates two players --- and only two --- to be team spokemen for the entire season. Those are the only players you get all year until the bowl game, where they have rules specifying that more players be made available. Even Nick Saban's access rules aren't that restrictive.

Team I cover played Tech in a bowl a few years ago. His fifth-year senior quarterback got hurt in the third quarter, then came back in to lead a game-tying scoring drive despite what was later diagnosed as a torn MCL.

Somebody asked Leach about the QB, setting him up for something like "this kid cared so much about this team that he got back out there when he could hardly walk." Instead, Leach says "we don't talk about injuries, during or after the season."

Dickhead.

 

He still does this? I thought that was a one-time deal.

 

Not sure, but I think it was just for one season. Whatever, the guy is entertaining as hell — not in a Jay Leno one-liner sort of way; more of a George Carlin stream-of-consciousness sort of way.

 

I'd be interested to hear from people who have actually covered him on a daily basis. I'd be willing to bet they're not nearly as entertained by the guy.

Kind of reminds me of Bo Ryan at Wisconsin. The national guys love him because he seems so home-spun and cheeky. Try covering that on a daily basis, though. Many of those guys can't stand him.

 

I get the sense that the Tech beat writers like Leach a hell of a lot more that the Badger writers like Ryan.

Ryan does a good press conference at the tournaments, but his beat guys seem to hate him (for good reason).

 

I covered the Big 12 for a while. Most of the people who deal with Leach love him and find him wildly entertaining.

The only complaints you'll get are about the "two spokesmen" rule, which went on multiple years. Not sure if they still do it or not, since I've been away for more than a season.