Joel Klatt remembers Mike Leach: ‘He was unapologetically himself’

Ask school soccer aficionados what Mike Leach’s teaching superpower was, and also you’d get an in depth checklist of solutions.

He was an offensive pioneer. The Godfather of the Air Raid. An excellent and unapologetic soccer thoughts who merely wasn’t afraid to be himself.

FOX Sports activities school soccer analyst Joel Klatt, who performed in opposition to Leach as a participant and lined him extensively as a broadcaster, remembers all of these qualities. However in line with Klatt, the one superpower he remembers most, the one he gave the game of faculty soccer and all of the wildly-successful coaches that labored underneath him, was how he impressed a revolutionary but easy philosophy: Why not?

“Should you discuss with among the coaches who coached underneath Mike Leach, they may let you know some wild tales about the best way they might sport plan, and the best way that Mike needed to do every part completely different from the norm,” Klatt mentioned. “So usually, coaches do issues as a result of they don’t need to stand out from the group and be criticized. Not Mike Leach.”

Joel Klatt speaks on Mike Leach’s impression on School Soccer

Joel Klatt remembers the legacy and sudden passing of Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach.

Klatt took to his podcast on Tuesday to share a few of his most cherished moments and encounters with Leach, who died Monday on the age of 61 following issues from a coronary heart situation. Leach, who was in his third season as the pinnacle coach at Mississippi State, fell sick Sunday at his residence in Starksville, Mississippi. 

[Related: Mike Leach, pioneering football coach, dies at 61]

He leaves behind his spouse, Sharon, 4 kids and a whole school soccer group that cherished and appreciated him as a lot as he cherished and appreciated the sport of soccer.

“This can be a horrible day on this planet of faculty soccer and clearly in his household,” Klatt mentioned of Leach’s passing. “You’ll be able to’t actually encapsulate the person he was exterior of the game except you had been part of his household, so I don’t need to attempt to try this. 

“What I’ll do is discuss what his legacy will probably be inside school soccer as a result of I believe it will likely be giant transferring ahead.”

Klatt shared tales of his many interactions with Leach, which included his first time overlaying the legendary coach throughout his time at Texas Tech, when he took a manufacturing assembly whereas ordering a espresso within the Starbucks drive by way of line.

There was additionally the time when Leach admitted to Klatt that he doesn’t name run performs for his offense, and the one time his workforce would run the ball is when the quarterback checked out of a passing play on the line of scrimmage.

[Related: Mike Leach: College football world shares memories, pays tribute to coach]

However it was one story specifically that absolutely encompasses the demeanor during which Leach carried himself on a day-to-day foundation and goes again to that superpower phrase: Why not?

The story was advised to Klatt by USC head coach Lincoln Riley, who served as an assistant underneath Leach at Texas Tech from 2003-09.

It was a late-October day again in 2008, and Leach was getting ready his Texas Tech workforce for an upcoming sport in opposition to No. 1-ranked Texas. Leach was upset with the best way his offense had been executing the go-route, so he made it clear that his workforce was solely going to run go-routes that day in observe, no matter protection.

A few of Leach’s assistant coaches started to develop involved with how a lot distance the huge receivers had been working, which was most likely someplace close to 3-4 miles in totality. Certainly one of Leach’s assistants on the time approached him and advised him the workforce couldn’t proceed to do that.

Leach checked out his assistant and easily mentioned, “Why not?” He went on to elucidate that in some unspecified time in the future within the season, the offense was going to must throw a go-route in opposition to an unfavorable defensive protection, and that it had to achieve success when that occurred.

Quick-forward to the ultimate seconds of Texas Tech’s matchup in opposition to the Longhorns. Dealing with a second-and-10 from the 28-yard line with solely eight seconds remaining within the sport and trailing 39-33, senior quarterback Graham Harrell dropped again and threw a deep go to All-American huge receiver Michael Crabtree, who caught the ball on the best sideline, broke a deal with and bumped into the tip zone for a game-winning landing. The play would go down as one of the crucial iconic game-winning scores in school soccer historical past.

The route that Crabtree ran throughout that play … a go-route.

“It didn’t matter what protection Texas was gonna run as a result of Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree knew what to do due to that day the place all they did was run go-routes in observe,” Klatt mentioned. “It was due to Mike Leach and his willingness and fortitude to simply say, ‘Why not?’”

Leach was boisterous. He was eccentric. However most significantly, he was genuine.

“Mike was unapologetically himself,” mentioned Klatt, who paused for a second to gather himself earlier than saying his goodbyes. “He wasn’t afraid of what you thought, and in so some ways, it was freshening to see for somebody in my place.

“Relaxation properly, Mike. We’re all going to overlook you.”

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Every week, FOX Sports activities school soccer analyst Joel Klatt dives into his High 10 groups, solutions questions and discusses the largest storylines in school soccer on his podcast. Download “The Joel Klatt Present” right here.

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