Mike Leach: Texas A&M Mortal Foe, Favorite Pirate
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Mike Leach loved Texas A&M and its fans, even if the fan base largely despised him and his deadly Air Raid offense.
Leach, an eccentric figure in college football, was fascinated by the little things in College Station. He once called Kyle Field the "Carnegie Hall of college football." He admired the coaching grit of former Aggies great R.C. Slocum and considered him as much of a friend as a mentor.
Maybe the graciousness from Leach came due to his success against the Aggies. He had Texas A&M's number while at Texas Tech, back when the Aggies were still members of the Big 12. The one coach who bested the program as of late was the self-proclaimed pirate, who won back-to-back games against Texas A&M over the past two years while standing on Mississippi State's sidelines.
Texas A&M fans might have loathed having to face off against Leach and his perfected passing game, but they had respect for one of the game's most polarizing figures. Respect that was on full display Sunday morning and well into Tuesday evening.
Leach passed away Monday following complications from a heart condition. He was 61.
“The game of college football has lost a great coach and an even greater man,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher said in a statement. “I have always had tremendous respect for Mike and truly enjoyed the time I have spent with him.”
Well before the jovial Leach made the jump like Texas A&M to the SEC, the two were sworn foes in the Big 12. The Aggies were able to best multiple programs in the conference on the regular, picking up wins over Baylor, Oklahoma State and Colorado with ease.
With Leach, it was a different story. Something about his gameplan, quarterback play and consistency on offense made it a nightmare on Saturdays for the A&M faithful between showdowns in College Station and Lubbock. In most cases, Texas A&M was the one unable to shake the bad dream that occurred on the gridiron at either Kyle Field or Jones Stadium.
Leach posted a 7-3 record against the Aggies during his 10-year run as the Red Raiders coach. Some games were close, like the 48-47 overtime loss in College Station back in 2002. Others were blowouts; take for instance the 56-17 win in 2005.
Quarterbacks often stole the spotlight in the series. Leach's high-tempo passing attack made it easy for the gunslinger mentality to shine bright against the Aggies secondary. B.J. Symons threw a Big 12-record eight touchdown passes and topped 500 yards passing in the 59-28 win back in 2003. Cody Hodges tossed a pair of touchdown passes and threw for 408 yards in the Red Raiders' victory back in 2005, while Graham Harrell made it look easy in a 35-7 win during the 2007 season, with 425 yards and three scores.
The Air Raid system wasn't a staple of Red Raider football. It was Leach's baby. Originally designed by former Kentucky head coach Hal Mumme during his time at Iowa Wesleyan, Leach perfected the formula in every city he called home, bringing the offense to new heights in the modern era.
Much like those days out west, quarterbacks toyed with Texas A&M during Leach's tenure at Mississippi State. Will Rogers made a name for himself after throwing for 408 yards and three scores in a 26-22 win at Kyle Field in 2021. A year later, he finished with 329 yards and another three touchdowns at Wade Davis Stadium en route to a 42-24 victory.
“You know what Mike does. He’s going to throw the football,” Fisher said earlier this year in preparation for the matchup against MSU. “You’re going to have to give him different looks and different packages."
Leach was a coach cut from a different cloth. He often would rather pick reporter's brains on anything besides the X's and O's. Phone calls were often be one-on-one conversations, occur well after hours and last longer than the usual allotted 10 minutes.
Even the most bitter of Texas A&M fans knew their rivalry with Leach was more so playful banter than actual hatred. Hundreds of Aggies posted their farewells online and remembered the good times of Leach's life rather than the outcome of games.
After the 31-27 win over Texas A&M in 2006 in Lubbock, Leach mentioned how "every once in a while a pirate can beat a solider." Not every swashbuckler will earn the respect of a military man.
Then again, there were few like Leach, who never shied away from sending his best to the Aggie loyalists when given the chance.
“A&M fans are truly committed, and it’s always great to play in front of people where they feel like what’s happening is very important to them," Leach said prior to October's matchup.
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