Josh Heupel releases statement on the passing of Mike Leach
Mississippi State announced Tuesday morning that Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach passed away on Monday night at age 61. Leach suffered a cardiac event over the weekend. Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel released a statement on Leach's passing on Tuesday morning shortly after the news broke. "I am heartbroken on the passing of Coach […]
Mississippi State announced Tuesday morning that Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach passed away on Monday night at age 61.
Leach suffered a cardiac event over the weekend.
Tennessee Vols head coach Josh Heupel released a statement on Leach's passing on Tuesday morning shortly after the news broke.
"I am heartbroken on the passing of Coach Leach," wrote Heupel. "In 1999, he gave a kid out of Snow College in Utah a shot at major college football. He saw something in me when no one else did. Like so many across our sport, I am greatful for Coach Leach's impact on my life both personally and professionally. His offensive philosophy and vision were ahead of his time, and they continue to shape the game today. Off the field, he was one of a kind — an incredible storyteller, a man full of wisdom, and someone who always cared about his former players and coaches. I enjoyed our friendship over the years. My deepest condolences go out to Coach Leach's family, his wife Sharon, his kids and grandkids and the entire Mississippi State football program."
Leach, who was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 1999, is the coach who found Heupel at Snow College and gave him a shot with the Sooners.
Heupel played under Leach in 1999 and then won a national championship at Oklahoma. Leach left after the 1999 season, but he's undoubtedly the reason why Heupel ended up in Norman.
“Josh had thrown a lot of balls,” Leach said. “Josh was really accurate. Really accurate and really smart. Really knows football, a coaches kid. I liked all of those things and we had to do it as fast as we could. Josh came and spent a couple of days with me and we didn’t have furniture yet because we were just moving into the Switzer Center there, they just built it. We sat on the floor watching film after film, that was when it was VHS still, and talked offense.
“I thought Josh always had a great command of the field, a great knowledge of the game. The other thing was he was really accurate. He did not have a strong arm, but he was real accurate.”
RIP Mike Leach. The college football world, and the world in general, lost a great one this week.
Featured image via Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports