Washington State Cougars legend was as determined to pursue excellence as anyone, and was never shy to let anyone know what was on his mind, regardless of how it may have come across to others. One of the great outspoken minds of college football, it has been a full year since the sudden, unexpected passing of one of the greats from the game. What is missed about him for college football fans is the journey he would take listeners on as he answered questions. A historian, teacher, and something of a future forecaster, college football has a void that no one else has been able to fill since his passing.
Washington State Cougars Opening Press Conference
For fans of longtime Washington State Cougars coach Mike Leach, listening to his press conferences, and watching his offense crank out yards was a unique viewing experience of college football. With other stops, including; Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and ending his coaching career at Mississippi State, it was with the Washington State Cougars that he arguably connected best as a head coach.
According to him after being hired, when people asked, “Why Washington State?” His answer in the back of his mind was, “Well that’s a stupid question.”
His manner of fact and direct approach, not only led to many viewed clips, but is also likely a big reason why he was so respected in coaching circles, and helped his players buy into his system.
Coaching, there’s nothing like the unity, and working together as a team.
His passion for football, and desire to pursue excellence, attention to detail, and belief he instilled in his players is what leads many of his former players to this day to remember Coach Leach with great admiration.
Washington State Cougars As A Professor
For Coach Leach, teaching and coaching of course went hand in hand. One year while at Pullman he even elected to take his teaching to the actual university classroom itself.
Mike Leach, and Washington statesman Michael Baumgartner taught on the Washington State Cougars campus, “Leadership Lessons in Insurgent Warfare and Football Strategy“. For students it was a chance to listen to these two talk about ideas that have used in their respective lines of work. For the instructors, it seemed more of a soundboard of ideas that they were looking for an additional opinion on.
In a fitting way, to get in to the class you had to write a 200 word essay on the following:
Can the British strategy in the Malayan insurgency be used today? Is the wishbone a potentially viable offense in the NFL today? Why or why not?
Being able to learn from cross disciplinary areas of interest, and apply the lessons on the football field was one of the the best strengths of Coach Leach.
Washington State Cougars Knew The Committee Was A Bad Idea
In an press conference clip, as the Washington State Cougars head coach, that has aged very well, there were no words spared to express his displeasure of a potential playoff committee.
He is so dead on!! Mike leach on playoffs pic.twitter.com/dHOBGWFb6E
— David Schuman (@CoachSchuman) December 3, 2018
In this epic rant, he pointed out how virtually all other leagues of football have a noncontroversial system that works fine to crown a champion. While not only questioning the criteria that a committee would follow to select participants, and the members themselves, he wanted to throw away the notion of a committee entirely:
Mike Leach on the college football playoffs in 2017:
"Let's get us a committee.
Why not?
Then,we will decide which 4 teams should go.
We don't need to solve this on the field.
Conference champions don't even necessarily make the playoff b/c the committee knew better."
Thoughts?… pic.twitter.com/qYSIFRAU3t— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) December 3, 2023
Wouldn’t all of the other sports say, I know what, let’s have a committee, cause why not, cause we’re American and we love committees.
His main concern was that the results from the games themselves would not actually matter, going on to suggest, that you might as well just vote for the top teams prior to the season itself.
Conference champions don’t even necessarily make the playoffs, cause you know why? Cause the committee knew better.
What was really nice about Coach Leach, beyond his wit, humor, and what some would call oddities, his answers and statements were always well thought out, and backed by a form of well reasoned logic. Even if you disagreed with Coach Leach, you’ve have to debate him on the substance on the issue, and you better have had your facts straight.