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Missouri to Honor Mike Leach With Pirate Cowbell Helmet Sticker at Bowl

The touching tribute will come during the Tigers’ matchup against Wake Forest in the Gasparilla Bowl.

Zach Koons

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Missouri will make a touching tribute to the late Mike Leach during Friday night’s Gasparilla Bowl against Wake Forest. 

Leach, nicknamed “The Pirate,” died last Tuesday after suffering heart-related complications. He was 61.

The Tigers will memorialize Leach during Friday’s game with a fitting sticker, featuring a pirate-themed cowbell, on the back of their yellow and black helmets. The cowbell will replace the “I” in the “MIKE” sticker, which will be proudly displayed on Missouri’s headwear. 

Leach never coached at Missouri, but spent the last three years of his career at Mississippi State. During that brief time he left a strong impact on the SEC, which explains the Tigers decision to honor him at their bowl game.

Missouri isn’t the only program to pay tribute to Leach during bowl season. Miami (Ohio), Florida, BYU and Washington State—Leach’s former team—have all shown off different helmet decals that they have already worn or plan to wear over the next few weeks.

The tributes to Leach, a monumental figure in the college football world, will surely continue as bowl season plays out and culminates with the College Football Playoff.

The Gasparilla Bowl between Missouri and Wake Forest will kick off from Raymond James Stadium at 6:30 p.m. ET. 

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Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.

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