Mike Leach - RIP

[Dog8Cats]

Very much so.

The obits and social media posts are, for obvious reasons, focused on the positives: he was a brilliant offensive coach and a great quote. He also was easy to reach and would talk to anyone, so a lot of sportswriters were inclined to love the guy.

He also treated his players like **** and was viewed as virtually unhireable after his (very successful) stint at Texas Tech. When he finally got the WSU job it took him one season to be investigated for mistreating players.

He was probably a lot of fun to be around if you were hanging out at a Key West bar. I wouldn’t have sent my kid to play for him.

This.
Really sums up my ambivalent feelings about him. All the tributes today from prominent members of the media should be balanced with the negative impressions he left on what seems to be a critical mass of players.

 

[kickoff-time]

Another good read on this contrarian.

Commentary: Mike Leach was as complicated as all of us

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Carpentry, connections and Chick-fil-A: How D-II Valdosta State became an FBS coaching springboard

Today's news made me look back on this Athletic story from a few years ago. During a stretch of the late '90s and early '00s, Valdosta State had five assistants who went on to become FBS head coaches of varied success: Leach, Morriss, Smart, Muschamp and Holgorsen.

Not bad for a college team that's a second-class (third?) citizen to the city's high schools. There's a reason why Valdosta State plays in a stadium decked in Valdosta High colors.

 

[Dog8Cats]

Another good read on this contrarian.

Commentary: Mike Leach was as complicated as all of us

Very, very good retrospective.
Spoiler alert (which really hit home for me):

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In a profession full of clones and caricatures, Leach was an individual.

I still don’t know if I liked the man. But I sure will miss him. May his memory be a blessing.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

Another good read on this contrarian.

Commentary: Mike Leach was as complicated as all of us

When I read the line about how Leach sometimes didn’t remember his players’ names, it reminded me of something. I’ve often wondered, on these teams that have more than 100 players, does the head coach usually know the name and face of every single player? If he bumped into some fourth-string kid around campus, would he be likely to know who the kid was?

 

[tapintoamerica]

When I read the line about how Leach sometimes didn’t remember his players’ names, it reminded me of something. I’ve often wondered, on these teams that have more than 100 players, does the head coach usually know the name and face of every single player? If he bumped into some fourth-string kid around campus, would he be likely to know who the kid was?

True. Unlike any other sport. Too many players to remember. Head coach should know the names of people he or his staff recruited. Not as worried about the walkons

 

[LanceyHoward]

True. Unlike any other sport. Too many players to remember. Head coach should know the names of people he or his staff recruited. Not as worried about the walkons

Leach was a smart guy. I bet if he took a few minutes with the press guide he could lean the names of everyone.

 

[Pilot]

I always think things like that, but then I think that there were 350 or so in my high school. I probably knew the names of all of them within a semester or so? Or the vast majority, at least 90%, I'd bet.

 

[jr/shotglass]

I always think things like that, but then I think that there were 350 or so in my high school. I probably knew the names of all of them within a semester or so? Or the vast majority, at least 90%, I'd bet.

350 in my senior class. I'm pretty sure I could identify 98 percent of them (at that time, of course).

 

[Azrael]

I see a lot of love for Leach from sports writers.

He was a great quote and a very writable guy.

I don't see a lot of quotes extolling him from former players.

Hmmm.

 

[wicked]

I haven’t seen one story pretend to pass him off as a molder of young men or a role model.

Every story I’ve seen says he was an offensive genius who rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. To me that seems fair.

I am curious how Craig James and his kid feel 10 years later.

 

[Woody Long]

Craig James virtually disappeared off the face of the earth after the incident with his son. He resurfaced in 2012 to run against Ted Cruz for the Senate nomination and got a smooth 3.6% of the vote. He played the vangie card in the heart of the Tea Party era.

Other than getting fired from Fox Sports after one appearance as an analyst, he hasn't been heard from since.

Neither have any of the five hookers.

 

[Azrael]

I see a lot of love for Leach from sports writers.

He was a great quote and a very writable guy.

I don't see a lot of quotes extolling him from former players.

Hmmm.

I haven’t seen one story pretend to pass him off as a molder of young men or a role model.

Every story I’ve seen says he was an offensive genius who rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. To me that seems fair.

Raises interesting questions about the purpose and responsibilities of any/every college coach.

 

[User 149557]

He seemed like a guy who should've received head coaching money to be the offensive coordinator.

 

[wicked]

Raises interesting questions about the purpose and responsibilities of any/every college coach.

Hasn’t that ship sailed? With NIL the whole thing officially became a free-for-all. I’m not saying it’s proper or improper, just that it’s a settled question.

As long as you don’t cover up a murder or rapes, anything goes.

 

[Chef2]

I happened to be in Amarillo (about a 2 hour drive from Lubbock) that entire week that the news about James and the subsequent suspension came out.
I’ll tell you this. I don’t know how people feel about James and his kid today, but people in that area were losing their minds.
And not in a favorable fashion towards the James Gang.

 

[Azrael]

Hasn’t that ship sailed? With NIL the whole thing officially became a free-for-all. I’m not saying it’s proper or improper, just that it’s a settled question.

As long as you don’t cover up a murder or rapes, anything goes.

I think you're probably right and have been right from the time of Rockne.

That said, it's still heartbreaking.

 

[ChrisLong]

Don't forget that Kingsbury was signed, sealed and delivered to USC by Clay Helton to be offensive coordinator. A month later, he was head coach of the Cardinals.

 

[Regan MacNeil]

Head coach of an NFL team or assistant coach of a minor league team seems like a no-brainer.

 

[murphyc]

As the board's resident WAZZU alum, I'll be forever grateful for how Leach turned around the Coug program. Not just the sustained success, but the energy and enthusiasm. He put my alma mater on the map, especially the magical 2018 season. The program was in really rough shape. I mean, Pete Carroll had USC take a knee to stop scoring on us again...in the second quarter.
On the other hand, there were the times Leach was needlessly a jerk to people. When asked about losing the Apple Cup yet again to the Huskies, he ripped the reporter to pieces, and conveniently didn't have to answer for his shortcomings.
When Leach left Pullman, there were two fiercely divided camps: Those who were tired of Leach, and those mad at those tired of Leach and hung onto every word the man said.