The Mississippi State coach helped revolutionize football’s passing offense and guided some of the game’s most prolific quarterbacks.
Mike Leach, one of college football’s most distinctive personalities and most innovative offensive minds, died Monday night of heart-related complications, his family announced. He was 61.
Leach had recently completed his third season as Mississippi State’s coach and was preparing his team for the ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois on Jan. 2 in Tampa. He suffered a heart-related medical emergency at his Starkville home Sunday morning before being airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.