Texas Tech Red Raiders
Who coached the team Mike Leach (American football coach) from 2000 to 2009?
Mike Leach ( American football coach ) Michael Charles Leach ( born March 9 , 1961 ) is an American college football coach who is currently the head coach at Mississippi State University . He was previously the head coach at Texas Tech University from 2000 to 2009 , where he became the winningest coach in school history , and at Washington State University from 2012 to 2019 , where he recorded the third-most wins of any coach in school history . Leach is known for building potent offenses , directing passing-oriented teams in a spread offense system known as the air raid offense , which Leach developed with Hal Mumme when Mumme was head coach and Leach was offensive coordinator at Iowa Wesleyan , Valdosta State , and Kentucky in the 1990s . Leachs offenses with Mumme , and later as a head coach himself , have broken numerous school and NCAA records . Early life and education . Born to Frank and Sandra Leach in Susanville , California , Leach claims Cody , Wyoming , as his hometown . He was raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He graduated from Cody High School in 1979 and then attended Brigham Young University ( BYU ) in Provo , Utah , where he closely followed the exploits of the football team . Led by head coach LaVell Edwards , offensive coordinator Norm Chow , and quarterbacks Marc Wilson , Jim McMahon , and Steve Young , BYU played a pass-oriented offense , which was uncommon in college football at that time . Leach graduated in 1983 with a bachelors degree in American studies . In 1986 , Leach earned a Juris Doctor from Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu , California . He is also one of the most prominent graduates of the United States Sports Academy in Daphne , Alabama , from which he earned a Masters of Sports Science in sports coaching in 1988 . Coaching career . Early coaching career . Leach began his coaching career as an assistant at Cal Poly ( 1987 ) and College of the Desert ( 1988 ) . He also served as head coach of the Pori Bears in the American Football Association of Finland in 1989 . Also in 1989 , he joined Hal Mummes staff at Iowa Wesleyan University as offensive coordinator . The pair spent three seasons there before moving to Valdosta State ( 1992–1996 ) and then Kentucky ( 1997–1998 ) . The partnership was known for the development of the air raid offense , which allowed their teams to rank highly in offensive statistics and set numerous records . Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch became a No . 1 overall NFL draft pick . For the 1999 season , Leach joined the Oklahoma staff under head coach Bob Stoops . Oklahomas offense , which had ranked 11th in the Big 12 Conference in 1998 , improved under Leach to first in the conference in 1999 . Texas Tech . After one year at Oklahoma , Leach was hired as head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders , another Big 12 member . The Leach-coached Red Raiders best finishes came with three nine-win seasons in 2002 , 2005 , and 2007 and an 11-win season in 2008 . In 2002 , Tech swept its in-state conference rivals Baylor , Texas , and Texas A&M for the first time since 1997 and then defeated Clemson , 55–15 , in the Tangerine Bowl . It was the Red Raiders first postseason win since 1995 when they beat the Air Force Falcons in the Copper Bowl . In 2005 , the Red Raiders opened their season with a 6–0 record , their best start since 1998 . Leach built a strong passing offense at Tech , where the Red Raiders led the NCAA in passing yardage for four years in a row . He inserted Kliff Kingsbury at quarterback for three years . Kingsbury broke the NCAA records for completions in a career . Kingsbury was succeeded at the position by B . J . Symons , who produced the most passing yards in a season in NCAA history . Sonny Cumbie followed , leading the Red Raiders to an upset of the then-4th ranked California in the Holiday Bowl . Cody Hodges succeeded Cumbie , and subsequently lead the NCAA in passing . Graham Harrell , the first non-senior starting QB since Kingsbury , struggled early in the 2006 season . However , he showed steady improvement beginning with the game against Iowa State and ended the season with a record-setting comeback victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers . Harrell also set NCAA records for passes completed in a season and career amongst others . Under Mike Leach , Texas Tech was known for its high-scoring offense and come-from-behind victories . A 70–35 win over TCU in 2004 began with TCU leading 21–0 with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter . Before Techs scoring drives started , a TCU defensive back was caught mouthing into a TV camera , They arent going to score . Later in the season , Texas Tech beat Nebraska , 70–10 , forcing the Cornhuskers to give up more points in a single game than they had before in their 114-year history . In 2005 , the Red Raiders were losing to Kansas State , 13–10 , late in the second quarter but won the game 59–20 . Also in 2005 , Tech had a halftime lead of 14–10 over Texas A&M . By the end of the game , they increased the margin to 56–17 . It was the Aggies worst loss to the Red Raiders in the 64-year-old series . Mike Leach was chosen to coach the South team during the 2007 inaugural Inta Juice North-South All-Star Classic game . At the end of the 2008 season , Leach was 76–39 with the Red Raiders , including 7–2 against the Texas A&M Aggies and 2–7 against the Texas Longhorns . With a 5–4 record , he is the all-time winningest coach in postseason play in Tech football history . Leach was one of only sixteen active college football coaches who had never had a losing season after he left Texas Tech . This was followed by a 3–9 season in his seminal year with Washington State . Of those , he is among nine who have been a head coach for at least five seasons . In February 2009 , Leach signed a three-year contract extension with Texas Tech that would pay him at least $2.5 million per year if he stayed in place through 2013 . Leachs guaranteed compensation would have been $1.6 million in 2006 , $1.65 million in 2007 , $1.75 million in 2008 , $1.85 million in 2009 and $2.15 million in 2010 . 2007 Texas game controversy . During his post-game press conference after the 2007 loss against Texas , Leach used most of his time to rail against the officiating crew for what he felt were bad calls . He speculated that the officials may have favored Texas because the head official lived in Austin , because they were incompetent , or possibly because the conference wanted Texas to appear in a BCS bowl because of the increased appearance fees that such a bowl generates for the conference . Jim Vertuno of the Associated Press wrote Leach was upset officials disallowed two Tech touchdowns in the third quarter . The first was overruled when video replay clearly showed the receiver let the ball hit the ground . On the next play , a touchdown pass was negated by a holding penalty . Leach also wanted , but didnt get , a flag for roughing the quarterback . The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported , Big 12 policy prohibits coaches from commenting publicly about game officials , so Leachs actions leave him open to reprimand , fine or worse . ESPN reported , Big 12 official spokesman Bob Burda did not immediately respond to telephone messages seeking comment . Leachs rant will likely draw a fine from the league and possibly a suspension . On November 13 , 2007 , the Big 12 fined Leach $10,000 , the largest fine in Big 12 history . Leach also received a reprimand and was warned that further violations could result in suspension . In a Big 12 coaches conference call that day , Leach added that he did not regret making any of the comments . Leach announced that he would appeal the fine . Tech alumni and fans began raising money to aid Leach in paying the penalty in the event that it was upheld . Optionally , the proceeds raised could be used charitably . So , just before Christmas 2007 , Leach requested that the nearly $5,000 raised to that point be spent on 400 hams to be given free to families in Lubbock , Texas . Future donations were to go to the university or athletic department . Following the 2008 Gator Bowl , in which Virginia scored twice on penalties against Tech for intentional grounding in the end zone , Leach joked , I felt like we had a back there on the one safety , but I dont comment on officiating . I just give out hams is what I do . 2008 season . Leach , along with players Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree were featured on the cover of the 2008 edition of Dave Campbells Texas Football . The magazine predicted that the 2008 Red Raider football team would be the best in Texas and would challenge for the Big 12 South title . Following a 9–0 beginning to the season , including a win over the undefeated #1 Texas Longhorns , Texas Tech Athletic Director Gerald Myers announced that the university would renegotiate Leachs contract following the conclusion of the football regular season and give him an extension . The Red Raiders ended the 2008 regular season with 11 wins and 1 loss , the best in school history . The season also marked the first win over a #1 ranked team . Tech , along with Oklahoma and Texas , shared the Big 12 Conference South division title . On December 2 , 2008 , the Associated Press named Leach the Big 12 Coach of the Year . He received 16 votes for the honor by the agencys panel , while Texas Mack Brown got 4 . He won co-Coach of the Year honors from the Big 12 coaches ; Oklahomas Bob Stoops received the same recognition for the same season . The Dallas Morning News named him Coach of the Year as well . He garnered the 2008 George Munger Award , which is given annually to the top college coach of the year by the Maxwell Football Club . After much controversy about how the tie-breaker should be handled between Texas , Oklahoma , and Texas Tech fans , the Red Raiders ended up being left out of the BCS because of a rule that states only two teams from each conference could enter BCS play per season . Oklahoma won the tie-breaker on account of their higher BCS ranking , ultimately losing to Florida in the national championship . Texas Tech also ended up losing that year in the Cotton Bowl to Ole Miss 47–34 . Leach interviewed for the University of Washington head coaching job , which was vacated by Tyrone Willingham . ESPN reported that Leach withdrew his name from the coaching search following his interview . Auburn , where Tommy Tuberville resigned , had also been rumored to have contacted Leach . In an interview with the Associated Press , Tech quarterback Graham Harrell stated that there was a great chance Leach could leave . Harrell noted that Leach might leave for a newer challenge . After Leach withdrew his name from consideration for the Washington job , Harrell retracted his statements and believed Leach would remain the Red Raiders coach . Tech athletic director Gerald Myers had indicated that he would give a raise to Leach before Techs bowl game , which he later negotiated . Leach and the university settled on a 5-year extension worth $12.7 million after months of negotiations over the clauses of the contract . 2009 season . On October 31 , 2009 , after the Red Raiders win over Kansas , Leach tied his predecessor Spike Dykes as the all-time winningest coach in Texas Techs 85-year football history . On November 21 , 2009 , Leach passed Dykes for first all-time on the schools wins list with a win over Oklahoma . Firing . On December 28 , 2009 , Leach was suspended indefinitely by Texas Tech pending investigation of alleged inappropriate treatment of Adam James , son of former SMU and New England Patriots running back ( and former ESPN college football analyst ) Craig James . On December 16 , James suffered a concussion . He was examined the next day , and told not to practice that afternoon due to the concussion . According to a James family source , Leach ordered him to stand in the equipment room near the Raiders practice facility . According to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal , school officials claim they gave Leach an ultimatum to apologize to James in writing by December 28 or Leach would be suspended . His attorney , Ted Liggett , disputed the characterization of events as reported by the university and other news sources , and said that James had been treated reasonably in light of his condition . Leach immediately sought an injunction that would allow him to coach in the 2010 Alamo Bowl . However , on December 30 , Texas Tech fired Leach , calling his refusal to apologize to James a defiant act of insubordination . This was the day before Leach was reportedly owed an $800,000 tenure bonus and over $1,700,000 for contractual guaranteed income for 2009 . Texas Tech lawyers handed a termination letter to Liggett just minutes before the two sides were to appear in a Lubbock courtroom for a hearing . Liggett was also told that Leach would not be allowed to coach in the Alamo Bowl regardless of how the hearing turned out . School officials later said that other incidents had come to light during its investigation of Leach , but declined to elaborate . Defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill was named interim head coach and led the team during their appearance in the Alamo Bowl . In a statement , Leach said that he believed the firing was motivated in part by simmering acrimony over the contract negotiations . He also said he planned to sue Texas Tech for wrongful termination . On December 31 , Leach spoke with The New York Times in his first interview since being fired from Texas Tech . He said that he did not know where James had been taken , having only ordered him taken out of the light . He claimed the controversy stemmed from Craig James constant lobbying for more playing time for his son , whom he characterized as lazy and feeling entitled . On January 8 , 2010 , Leach formally filed suit against Texas Tech for wrongful termination and other claims . He claimed that school officials not only fired him without cause , but issued defamatory statements in a willful attempt to keep him from being hired elsewhere . During a deposition for the case obtained by the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal , Adam James admitted under oath that he found the closet incident funny . In May 2010 , District Judge Bill Sowder dismissed all but one of Leachs claims on the grounds of sovereign immunity , but he allowed Leachs claim for breach of contract to proceed , finding that Texas Tech had waived its immunity on this claim by its conduct . The judge also dismissed Leachs claims against three university administrators . Both parties took steps to appeal the decision , although Leachs attorneys said they would drop their appeal if Texas Tech would do likewise and allow the breach of contract claim to proceed to a jury trial . Early in 2011 , Texas 7th Court of Appeals ruled that Texas Tech was immune from Leachs claim of breach of contract but that Leach can claim non-monetary reparations . Leachs attorney Paul Dobrowski announced his intention to appeal to the Supreme Court of Texas . In February 2012 , The Texas Supreme Court denied Leachs petition for review . After that denial , Texas Tech attorney Dicky Gregg stated As weve said from the beginning , we were right on the law and the facts , and the ( Texas ) Supreme Court has just held that we were correct on the law . Friday Night Lights series creator Peter Berg has hinted that he has written a movie script for the characters from the TV series that is based on Leachs firing from Texas Tech . On August 6 , Judge Sowder issued a summary judgement dismissing Leachs lawsuits against ESPN , Spaeth Communications , and Craig James . Leachs attorneys indicated they would appeal . Post-Texas Tech . In August 2010 , Leach joined CBS College Sports Network , where he worked as a color analyst with play-by-play announcer Roger Twibell . In 2010 , Leach joined host Jack Arute to co-host College Football Playbook on SiriusXM College Sports Nation Channel 91 , which airs weekdays 12 pm – 3 pm ET . In 2011 , Leach released an autobiographical book , Swing Your Sword : Leading the Charge in Football and in Life , through Diversion Books . The book debuted at #6 on The New York Times Best Seller list . Leach was considered by many in the national media to be a candidate for the head coaching vacancies at University of Miami , University of Maryland , and University of Minnesota following the 2010 regular season . After at least two interviews at Maryland , he was considered the frontrunner for that job until the administration decided instead to hire Randy Edsall away from UConn . Leach was mentioned in connection with a number of other vacancies in head-coaching positions during 2011 , including Washington State , Arizona , Ole Miss , Kansas , Penn State , and Tulane . Washington State . Leach agreed to terms with Washington State on November 30 , 2011 and began coaching for the 2012 season . His five-year rollover contract made Leach the fourth-highest paid coach in the Pac-12 . On December 5 , 2019 , Leach received a contract extension through 2024 . 2012 season . Leachs first season in Pullman was a controversial one . Washington State was 3–9 overall and 1–8 in Pac-12 play ; the lone wins were against FCS Eastern Washington , UNLV , and an upset of rival Washington in the Apple Cup in Pullman . On November 10 , more allegations of player abuse erupted when star wide receiver Marquess Wilson quit the team citing physical , emotional and verbal abuse by the coaching staff . Immediately after the allegations were made , university president Elson Floyd issued a statement indicating that he had requested investigations into the alleged incident ( s ) from both the WSU Athletic Department and the Pac-12 Conference . The investigations determined that the claims made against Leach were without merit , and Wilson later recanted the allegations . Leach received a 2-year contract extension on November 18 , 2013 after leading the Washington State Cougars to their best record since 2006 . 2013 season . Leach led WSU to a 6–6 regular season in 2013 that had them bowl eligible for the first time in a decade . They were led on offense by Connor Halliday , who set school and conference records for passing . The Cougars defeated USC , California , Arizona , and Utah for a conference record . Invited to the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque , Wazzu led most of the game , but lost to the Colorado State Rams . Down by sixteen points with under three minutes to play , the Rams mounted an all-time great comeback , winning with a field goal as time expired in regulation . The Cougars led the nation in passing offense and total offense and Leach was awarded a pay raise for the Cougars 2013 performance . 2014 season . The 2014 season saw the Cougars regress to a record . The Cougars defeated Portland State Utah and Oregon State 2015 season . In 2015 , despite a season-opening loss to FCS school Portland State , the Cougars had their breakthrough season of the Leach era with a record , in the Pac-12 . The Cougars were invited to the Sun Bowl in El Paso , Texas , where they beat the Miami Hurricanes This was the best Cougar record since the 2003 team went 2016 season . WSU began the 2016 season with two losses , but rallied off eight consecutive wins before dropping their final two games . The success of their season , led by Luke Falk at quarterback , landed them in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego where they lost to Minnesota of the Big Ten . WSU finished in the Pac-12 , with notable wins over Oregon and #15 Stanford . It was the Cougars best conference finish in thirteen seasons , but the bowl loss gave WSU an overall record of 2017 season . Washington State was in the Pac-12 in 2017 . They were again invited to the Holiday Bowl where they lost to Michigan State and finished overall . 2018 season . Leach recruited graduate transfer Gardner Minshew at quarterback in time for the 2018 season and it paid big dividends . The Cougars won a school record-tying ten games , the first time they had won that many in the regular season since the Rose Bowl year of 2002 . They also surged as high as seventh in major polling and went into the Apple Cup with a chance to clinch the Pac-12 North title and a shot at the Rose Bowl , but lost 28–15 to rival Washington in the snow in Pullman , a sixth consecutive loss to the Huskies . The Cougars were invited to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio to play the Iowa State Cyclones of They won 28–26 for a school record 11th win . Mississippi State . 2020 . On January 9 , 2020 , Leach agreed to be the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs . His contract is reported to pay him $5 million annually . The season started with a 44–34 upset victory over no . 6 LSU , who had won the CFP National Championship the previous season . The team would struggle the rest of the season , winning only two more games , 24–17 over Vanderbilt and 51–32 over Missouri , finishing the regular season at 3–7 . Despite the losing record , the Bulldogs were invited to the Armed Forces Bowl , as the NCAA waived bowl eligibility requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Mississippi State faced off against no . 24 Tulsa , defeating the Golden Hurricane 28–26 to finish with an overall record of 4–7 . Achievements . Kentucky . - Four NCAA , 42 SEC , and 116 school records broken as Kentuckys offensive coordinator Texas Tech . - 10 consecutive winning seasons - 8 consecutive seasons with at least 8 wins - 4 seasons with at least 9 wins - 1 season with 11 wins - 9 consecutive bowl appearances - 5 bowl wins ( most by any individual coach in the history of the program ) - 4 seasons completed with team ranked in the Top 25 - 19–11 record against in-state conference rivals Baylor , Texas , and Texas A&M - 53–11 record at Jones AT&T Stadium , home of the Texas Tech Red Raider football team - 2008 AP Big 12 Coach of the Year - 2008 Big 12 Coach of the Year - Coached 1 Fred Biletnikoff Award ( Best Wide Receiver ) winner : Michael Crabtree ( two-time winner ) - Coached 1 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ( Best Senior Quarterback ) winner : Graham Harrell - Coached 1 Mosi Tatupu Award ( Best Kick Returner ) winner : Wes Welker - Coached 3 Sammy Baugh Trophy ( Outstanding Quarterback ) winners : Kliff Kingsbury , B.J . Symons , and Graham Harrell - More than 150 NCAA , Big 12 and school records broken as Texas Techs head coach - All-time winningest football coach in Texas Tech history Washington State . - 2015 Pac-12 Coach of the Year - 2018 Pac-12 Coach of the Year - 4 consecutive winning seasons - First coach to win 11 games in a season at WSU - Coached 1 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ( Best Senior Quarterback ) winner : Gardner Minshew II - 1 top 10 finish - 2 bowl wins Mississippi State . - First head coach to win against a Top 10 in coaching debut . - Broke SEC and school record in passing yards in a single game . Coaching tree . Although he did not play college football , Leach played wide receiver under John McDougall , the longtime coach at Cody High School in Cody , Wyoming . Under Coach MacDougall , Cody played in two top division state championships while Leach was a student , winning one in 1976 in triple overtime against legendary coach John Detis Laramie Plainsmen . Head coaches under whom Mike Leach served : - Lyle Setencich : Cal Poly ( 1987 ) - Hal Mumme : Iowa Wesleyan University ( 1989–1991 ) , Valdosta State ( 1992–1996 ) , Kentucky ( 1997–1998 ) - Bob Stoops : Oklahoma ( 1999 ) Assistant coaches under Leach who became college head coaches : - Art Briles : Houston Cougars ( 2003–2007 ) , Baylor Bears ( 2008–2015 ) - Jeff Choate : Montana State Bobcats ( 2016–present ) - Sonny Dykes : Louisiana Tech Bulldogs ( 2010–2012 ) , California Golden Bears ( 2013–2016 ) , SMU Mustangs ( 2018–present ) - Greg McMackin : Hawaii Warriors ( 2008–2011 ) - Ruffin McNeill : East Carolina Pirates ( 2010–2015 ) - Dana Holgorsen : West Virginia Mountaineers ( 2011–2018 ) , Houston Cougars ( 2019–present ) - Seth Littrell : North Texas Mean Green ( 2016–present ) - Lincoln Riley : Oklahoma Sooners ( 2017–present ) Graduate assistants under Leach who became college head coaches : - Dave Aranda : Baylor Bears ( 2020–present ) Players under Leach who became college or NFL head coaches : - Kliff Kingsbury : Texas Tech ( 2013–2018 ) , Arizona Cardinals ( 2019–present ) - Neal Brown : Troy Trojans ( 2015–2018 ) , West Virginia Mountaineers ( 2019–present ) - Seth Littrell : North Texas Mean Green ( 2016–present ) - Josh Heupel : UCF Knights ( 2018–present ) - Eric Morris : Incarnate Word Cardinals ( 2018–present ) Personal life . Leach is married with four children . Leach is atypical among NCAA Division I head coaches in that he did not play college football . He is one of nine such current head coaches , eight of them in FBS . The others are Manny Diaz of the Miami Hurricanes , Eliah Drinkwitz at Missouri , David Cutcliffe at Duke , Sonny Dykes at SMU , Ryan Silverfield at Memphis , Bill Clark at UAB , Hugh Freeze at Liberty , and the only FCS coach of the group , Bobby Hauck at Montana . Famous among fans for his fascination with 18th-century pirates such as Blackbeard and Calico Jack , Leach has lectured his players on the history of pirates , and told them before games to swing their swords . His office has been described as a museum of pirate paraphernalia . In particular , Leach admires the teamwork exhibited by pirates . Leachs affinity for pirates came to bear in a cameo he made on the TV series Friday Night Lights . In the shows fourth season , he portrays a random loon at a gas station who implores a despondent coach Eric Taylor to swing your sword and find your inner pirate . Leach spends time during each off-season pursuing non-sport interests . Besides pirates , he has studied topics such as Native American leader Geronimo , American pioneer Daniel Boone , grizzly bears , chimpanzees , whales , and American artist Jackson Pollock . During the spring of 2019 , Leach co-taught a five-week seminar at Washington State , Insurgent Warfare and Football Strategies , alongside Washington politician Michael Baumgartner . Leachs social media presence has come under widespread criticism . In 2018 , the posting of fake videos critical of President Barack Obama led to multiple Washington State donors to alter future giving plans . The 2020 posting of a meme featuring a noose led to player criticism and transfers . External links . - Mississippi State profile - Washington State profile