Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach has passed away at the age of 61 according to the school.
Leach passed away Monday night after having complications from a heart condition.
The Mississippi State Bulldogs, with Leach at the helm, finished their regular season at 8-4 and are headed to the Reliaquest Bowl on January 2.
In his career, Leach had a 158-107 record at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State. He was in his third season with the Bulldogs and had a 19-17 record.
Leach’s rise as a coach started with him as an offensive coordinator who helped create the Air Raid system. He and Hal Mumme ran the offense at Iowa Wesleyan, Valdosta State and the University of Kentucky before Leach took the offense to Oklahoma as the Sooners’ offensive coordinator. The system’s concepts are widely used in college football and the NFL today.
Defensive coordinator Zach Arnett has been named interim coach since Leach entered the hospital over the weekend.
Players must be 21 years of age or older or reach the minimum age for gambling in their respective state and located in jurisdictions where online gambling is legal. Please play responsibly. Bet with your head, not over it. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, and wants help, call or visit: (a) the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey at 1-800-Gambler or www.800gambler.org; or (b) Gamblers Anonymous at 855-2-CALL-GA or www.gamblersanonymous.org.
