Mike Leach - RIP

[BitterYoungMatador2]

I think that Leach, like many other very smart people, relied on his intellectual skills and ignored interpersonal relationships.

I’ve long contended he had a mild form of autism or Asbergers.

 

[DanOregon]

So who gets the gig? Does he have a former assistant that would be a natural fit? Graham Harrell maybe?

 

[wicked]

Dan Mullen. They could do worse.

 

[BTExpress]

Would be nice if every SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12 bowl team wore a pirate sticker or something on the helmet for their game.

 

[dixiehack]

Would be nice if every SEC, Big 12 and Pac-12 bowl team wore a pirate sticker or something on the helmet for their game.

I thought about that for SEC schools, but the most obvious symbol is the skull and crossbones and even Leach might have found that a little too macabre. A sword maybe? I agree it would be good to have something besides the usual initials in a black circle.

 

[Regan MacNeil]

A cutlass would be a nice touch.

 

[mateen]

I’ve long contended he had a mild form of autism or Asbergers.

I have no doubt that he was in some way "neuroatypical", as the term is used nowadays (and I would note that his apparent success in all walks of life is a lesson in how such a diagnosis shouldn't necessarily lessen a person's potential). What strikes me in watching the clips of him making the rounds today is how his affect never changes - his expression and tone of voice never waver at all, and he never chuckles or shows any sort of emotion.

 

[nietsroob17]

A buddy I used to work with at the Valdosta Daily Times posted this gem.

View attachment 14886

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.

 

[UPChip]

I mean, they do have a point.

 

[Webster]

RIP and understanding he gave great interview, but to me he seemed like an unlikeable jerk.

 

[HanSenSE]

 

[PCLoadLetter]

RIP and understanding he gave great interview, but to me he seemed like an unlikeable jerk.

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.

 

[kickoff-time]

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.

Are you just guessing on how he treated his players or do you have insight?

I think Bobby Knight is a much bigger jerk and not just for the way he treated players and/or the media.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

Are you just guessing on how he treated his players or do you have insight?

I think Bobby Knight is a much bigger jerk and not just for the way he treated players and/or the media.

His treatment of players cost him his job at Texas Tech. It also led to an investigation by the university at WSU.

He routinely **** on his players in interviews, always blaming them for any failure.

Yeah, Bobby Knight was a bigger jerk, but that's not saying much.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

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.

 

[wicked]

Hey, well-behaved men rarely make history.

The guy obviously wasn't a saint, and he probably was a flaming asshole to a lot of people. But he was authentic, which counts for something nowadays.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

Well he didn’t kill one of his players like DJ Durkin.
Or George O’Leary.
Or look the other way to sexual assault like Art Briles.
Or Bo Schembechler.
Or James Franklin.
Or “Doctor Tom.”

Truth is the majority of these people have used and abused free labor to enrich themselves, which is why i snicker at the hand wringing over NIL.

 

[Shropshire Slasher]

Craig James has 3,044 followers on Twitter.

Elon is slacking.

 

[tapintoamerica]

A lot of that comes through in this rant. How have I never seen this before today?

Probably because you didn’t have 30 minutes to watch.
The guy was fascinating. But he could digress. NYT obit said he once talked to his team for three hours after a game.
But he’s right about student loans repo people.

 

[Smallpotatoes]

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.

Coaching, at its most basic, is about getting people to do things they wouldn’t do if someone wasn’t making them do it. If you’re a nice guy all the time, you’re going to fail miserably. Very few people are going to work hard enough to be successful at that level without holding their feet to the fire. It may not be the way I’d like to be treated but it works.