RIP Mike Leach

He has sailed on to Stranger Tides. RIP, Pirate

Met Coach Leach one time at a clinic. I had a dip in my mouth (I was a dumb young coach). He noticed and asked if he could have one, of course I said yes. I gave him my can, he took a small pinch and put it in his mouth, then closed the can and put it in his back pocket and said thanks! I didn't have the courage to ask for it back. RIP Coach

The thing is I don't think most of the time he was trying to be funny.

He was telling the truth about whatever the subject was as he saw it, and because he was wired differently, people thought it was humorous.

A few years ago, I posed a question on the College Football Subreddit to its readers on the autism spectrum (that subreddit has over 1.5 million readers).  I asked because some of his quirks, particularly his body language in public/social settings seemed familiar to some of my own friends' behaviors on the spectrum.  I asked if they ever wondered if Leach could be, and the thread got a lot of responses from that population stating with enthusiasm that he was definitely "one of us," lol.  Obviously we can't say that he was without any official diagnosis, but there's definitely "claims" by members of that community that he was.  I remember one comment in particular stated that everyone thinks Leach was just a character and trying to be funny with his stories and tangents, then countered that he was just verbally processing through a situation just like many on the spectrum do.  
  

I always suspected that Leach was on the spectrum, too, due to those "quirks."  It's good to know I wasn't the only one.

While everyone talks about him being such a funny, oddball character, I never felt like any of it was a bit he was doing to get laughs, even though a lot of people thought they were "deadpan jokes."

I think the most exceptional thing about him is how many different things he was interested in and fascinated by. One of his last Twitter posts was a map showing US cities and states at the same latitude as european cities and regions. That's fkn awesome.

As much as he loved football and was so good at it, I think it was mostly a hobby for him in a menagerie of interests. If he had the singular focus and obessession on football of a Saban, God himself would have had to save the Big 12. Lol

People talk about how Coach Leach is an offensive genius or how funny he is and both are true. But he could also coach his asss off.

He’s the first guy I heard say “you Coach it or allow it” and it changed the way I coach. Took me from a young coach who thought it was always the kids’ fault to a more mature coach who understands that the coach has to take accountability for how his players play.

The other thing coaching wise he said that had a huge impact on me was “if you put something in, what are you going to take out.” This has a huge impact on the way I coached as well.

This clip probably isn’t as famous some of his other interviews but the interviewer asks him at the 2:46 mark about a quote he’s said before “people are capable of working harder than they think they can.” He goes on to explain his view. I think it shows just how complete a coach he is. Yes he’s certainly an offensive mastermind but I’d wager to say he’s also an excellent motivator.


I’ve just enjoyed Coach Leach so much over my coaching career. I’ve got group chats from former colleagues at schools I’ve been to in the past and we all have shared Coach Leach quotes over the years. It’s just something that’s kept us connected.

The guy was just such a breath of fresh air in the coaching realms.

I fully identify with and like this post. I'mnot a genius, but I certainly don't understand most people.

I wasn't a devotee of Coach Leach's offensive philosophy, in fact quite the opposite, but, I always loved the guy. He seemed to be one of the few authentic guys in a profession of fakes only interested in "selling the brand". I usually don't get invested in celebrity level deaths, but this one hurts.

I don't know what Leach's situation was other than dying at a relatively young age, but let this serve as a reminder to take care of ourselves, if not for us then our loved ones.

BMI, blood pressure, Cholesterol etc. Eat smart, exercise regularly (even In-Season), get enough sleep. Yearly check-ups.

I do/used to do pretty much every single thing you mentioned and I've never been diagnosed with autism (or accused of being an exceptional genius), though it was discussed when I was in MS.

I'm just saying that after working with a lot of people who have those clinical diagnoses, I saw a lot of little traits with Leach's voice, eye contact, and facial expression that made me suspect he may have been "spectrumy."  This is not meant as a knock on Leach in any way, nor is it meant as any kind of armchair diagnosis.  It just means his mind seemed to work in a different way from most people, which is what made him so great.

It was interesting to me how often Leach spoke of friendships and conversations he had with people outside of football: academics, engineers, computer programmers, etc.  Those professions are also known to attract people with autistic traits for various reasons.  Leach, himself, even had a law degree and, had he been "sensible,"  probably would have pursued that career path.

Football culture tended to be pretty harsh on Leach, I felt.  He didn't "fit the mold" and that cost him a lot of jobs and made a lot of "conventional" coaches and administrators suspicious of him, not to mention how it frustrated fans who thought they were smarter than him, but to me that all made him even more of an inspiration

Personally, he was the ONE P5 coach I actually wanted to meet and I'm very sad I never got to make it to MSU for a clinic and a chance to shake his hand while he was there.

Exactly.

Interesting take.  I'm no offensive coach, though my defensive tenants merge with the Air Raid simplicity. 

I suspect James will not be mourned anywhere near as much as Leach is.