Mike Leach was one of the 5 best coaches in major college football.
He was never going to win a national championship.
But he had a knack for taking over programs with spotty track records and turning them into winners.: Texas Tech (Lubbock), Washington State (Pullman) and MS State (Starkville).
I can tell you from personal experience that Pullman, WA, is very much a coaching outpost. Nice college town. But it sits in the middle of absolutely nowhere.
He may not have been Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Dabo Swinney or Jim Harbaugh. These men took over powerhouse programs that, even if in need of a re-build, could be quickly turned around.
Leach, in essence, took over a pile of rubble at all three stops and built a mansion.
He also revolutionized a sport at a time when it desperately needed to be revolutionized.
Finally, Leach was a character that stood out in a world of boring corporate coaches who basically tow the party line on everything. He was part of a vanishing breed in sports: the interesting coach/manager.
He will be missed.
Thanks for the memories, Coach Leach.
R.I.P.