Mike Leach Children: How Many Children Does Leach Have?

Mike Leach Children: American football coach Michael Charles Leach (March 9, 1961 – December 12, 2022) worked largely at the NCAA Division I FBS level. He won two national coaching awards, and three conference coaching awards and was the architect of the NCAA’s record-breaking air raid offense.

From 2000 through 2009, he served as the head coach at Texas Tech University, where he amassed the most victories in program history. He coached at Washington State University from 2012 to 2019 after leaving Texas Tech, where he amassed the third-highest number of victories of any head coach in school history.

Then, from 2020 until his passing in 2022, he served as head coach at Mississippi State. When Hal Mumme was the head coach and Leach was the offensive coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State, and Kentucky in the 1990s, Leach was known for creating effective offenses, leading passing-oriented teams in a spread offense scheme known as the “air raid offense.”

Mumme and Leach developed this offense system together. Leach set multiple schools and NCAA records with his offenses while working with Mumme and then as a head coach. Leach led his unranked team to victories over teams that were ranked in the AP Poll on eighteen occasions, which is the most in the AP era.

Mike Leach Family And Education

In Susanville, California, Mike Leach was born to Frank and Sandra Leach. Leach was raised by Frank, a forester, and the family moved around a lot before settling in Cody, Wyoming. He was brought up as a Latter-day Saints (Mormon) member of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Mike joined Boy Scout Troop 58 while a child growing up in Cody, and in 1975 he attained the title of Eagle. Leach attended Cody High School from 1975 to 1978 and graduated in 1979. He was recruited to play football at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah.

Due to an ankle injury, he suffered in high school, he was unable to play collegiate football and switched to rugby. Leach continued to be involved with the football team, occasionally attending film room meetings.

BYU featured a pass-oriented offense at the time, which was unusual in collegiate football, under the direction of head coach LaVell Edwards, offensive coordinator Norm Chow, and quarterbacks Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, and Steve Young. Leach earned a bachelor’s degree in American studies in 1983.

Leach graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, California, with a Juris Doctor in 1986. He also holds a Master of Sports Science in sports coaching from the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama, where he graduated in 1988.

Mike Leach’s Personal Life

Leach stood out among NCAA Division I head coaches because he didn’t participate in the sport of collegiate football. Leach, who is well-known among fans for his passion for 18th-century pirates like Blackbeard and Calico Jack, gave his players historical lessons and instructed them to “swing their swords” before games.

His workplace had been compared to a museum filled with artifacts from pirates. Leach was particularly impressed by the pirates’ spirit of cooperation: Pirates work together as a group. In those days, there were numerous castes and classes in England.

I’m saddened by the passing of @Coach_Leach today. My deepest condolences to his wife, Sharon, his children, and grandkids. Football will not be the same w/out one of the originators of the Air Raid Attack! Football meetings might be a little more on time,

— Wes Welker (@WesWelker) December 14, 2022

But whether you were black, white, rich, or poor didn’t matter to pirates. To obtain a treasure was the goal. The captain might simply be removed if he performed poorly. Leach pursued activities outside of sports throughout each off-season.

Grizzly bears, chimpanzees, whales, American artist Jackson Pollock, Native American leader Geronimo, American explorer Daniel Boone, and other subjects were among those he had researched in addition to pirates.

In a brief cameo, Leach was seen on Friday Night Lights. He played a “random loon” at a gas station in the fourth season of the show who exhorts coach Eric Taylor to “swing your sword” and “discover your inner pirate.”

Leach and Washington state representative Michael Baumgartner co-taught a five-week course at Washington State University titled “Insurgent Warfare and Football Strategies” in the spring of 2019.

Mike Leach’s Wife And Children

The eldest of six children, Leach was. He and his wife Sharon had four children together, as well as three grandkids.

Moment of silence at #Auburn's Neville Arena for Mike Leach.

PA asks fans for a moment of silence and to "direct your thoughts and prayers to his wife Sharon, their children, and our friends at Mississippi State." pic.twitter.com/S8FtP3qEAU

— Justin Lee (@ByJustinLee) December 15, 2022

Cody Leach, Kiersten Leach, Kim Leach, and Janeen Leach are Mike Leach’s four surviving children. Little is known about his family because they spent their lives in private.

Mike Leach Death

Leach was hospitalized in Jackson, Mississippi, on December 11, 2022, as a result of an unidentified health problem. Leach was in severe condition, according to Sports Illustrated reporter Ross Delenger’s account that evening.

According to The Clarion-Ledger, Leach had a severe heart attack and went 10 to 15 minutes without receiving medical assistance. He reportedly had seizures, which could have caused brain damage.

The next day, he passed away at the age of 61. Mississippi State stated that “complications due to a cardiac issue” was the cause of death in a statement.

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