Information AboutMike Leach |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT MIKE LEACH | |
| 1961 births | |
| living people | |
| california sportspeople | |
| kentucky wildcats football coaches | |
| oklahoma sooners football coaches | |
| texas tech red raiders football coaches | |
Mike Leach (born March 9, 1961 in Susanville, California ) is the current Head Coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders football team. Leach has had a winning season every year since his tenure began at Tech. Wishbone Formation creator Emory Bellard has stated that Leach does the best job of any offensive coordinator in the nation.http://www.capcitysportsreport.com/past/november/offensive_mastermind.pdf EARLY LIFE Leach is a 1983 graduate of Brigham Young University , with a B.S. in American Studies. He is atypical among NCAA Division I head football coaches, as he did not play football at the college level. Leach is one of only five such coaches, with Mark Mangino at Kansas , Paul Johnson at Navy , Dennis Franchione at Texas A&M , and Charlie Weis at Notre Dame . In 1986 Leach earned a law degree from Pepperdine University . Leach is also one of the most prominent graduates of the United States Sports Academy , from which he earned a Master's of Sports Science/Coaching in 1988. COACHING CAREER Leach is known for building some very potent offenses, directing very prolific passing-oriented teams that have broken school and NCAA records at Valdosta State , Kentucky , Oklahoma , where he was offensive coordinator, and Texas Tech , where he became head coach in 2000 . The Leach-coached Red Raiders' best finishes came with their 9-win seasons in 2002 and 2005. 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 Raiders opened their season 6-0, the best start since 1998, and defeated Oklahoma for the first time under Leach. Leach has built a strong passing offenses at Tech. The Red Raiders have led the NCAA in passing yardage for four years in a row. Leach might be more known for plugging new quarterbacks into his spread/pass-oriented offense and having them reel off NCAA records. At Kentucky he tutored prospect Tim Couch into a No.1 NFL Draft Pick. At Oklahoma, Josh Heupel became an NFL draft pick following a year under Leach's tutelege. At Tech, he inserted Kliff Kingsbury for three years. Kingsbury broke the NCAA records for completions in a career. Following Kingsburry, BJ Symons stepped in, producing the most passing yards in a season in NCAA history. Sonny Cumbie jumped up leading the Red Raiders to an upset of nationally ranked California in the Holiday Bowl . Cody Hodges got called to duty, leading the NCAA in passing. Sophomore quarterback 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 victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers . Under Mike Leach, Texas Tech has been known for its high-scoring offense and come-from-behind victories. A 70-35 win over heavily favored where Tech overcame a 31-point deficit in the third quarter to defeat Minnesota 44-41 in overtime. The victory made history as the largest comeback in Division I-A bowl history. During the 2005 game against Texas A&M, Fox Sports Net featured a segment that focused on Leach's affinity for Pirate s. 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 2006 season, Leach was 56-33 with the Red Raiders, including 6-8 against the Texas Longhorns and the Texas A&M Aggies. With a 4-3 record, he is the all-time winningest coach in postseason play in Tech football history. Leach is one of only sixteen active college football coaches who have never had a losing season. Of those, he is among 9 who have been a head coach for at least 5 seasons.http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/090307/col_090307027.shtml HEAD COACHING RECORD SEE ALSO REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
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