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Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach suffered a massive heart attack Sunday in Starkville and was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, where he is still receiving care as of Monday.
According to multiple sources, Leach, 61, collapsed at his home in Starkville but did not receive medical attention for 10 to 15 minutes. The EMTs used a defibrillator and delivered multiple shocks to restore a normal heart rhythm.
After being stabilized at Oktibbeha District Hospital, he was transferred by helicopter to UMMC.
Sources said two of his four children are already with Jackson with the other two on the way.
It appears, according to sources, that Leach may have suffered from seizures with possible brain damage. The situation is dire, sources said, and MSU said Leach was in a “critical condition” in a statement Monday.
“Mike Leach, captain of the Mississippi State University football team, remains in critical condition at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson,” the statement read. Mike’s family is with him and appreciates the coach’s overwhelming expressions of love and support, but also requests that their family’s privacy be respected at this time.
“This is the amount of information available to MSU regarding Coach Leach’s condition. The university will not be making any further comment at this time.”
Leach is in his third season with the Bulldogs and leads Mississippi State to a 24-22 victory over Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl on November 24. He is 19-17 in three seasons with the Bulldogs.
School president Mark E. Keenum and interim athletic director Braky Brett said defensive coordinator Zach Arnett is “in charge of the MSU football team” until Leach’s return.
after the regular season, Leach told ESPN He had been suffering from pneumonia all season but was feeling better.
Sid Salter, Mississippi’s chief communications officer, told WLBT that any rumors pointing to Leach’s death “should be ignored.”
“Coach Leach is a fighter, and he fights,” Salter told the television station.
The Bulldogs (8-4, 4-4 SEC) will take on Illinois (8-4, 5-4 Big 10) in the ReliaQuest Bowl on January 2 (11 a.m. ESPN) in Tampa, Florida.
Before coming to Mississippi State, Leach was the head coach of Washington State from 2012 to 2019. He has compiled a Pullman career record of 55-47. The Cougars went 6-7 in 2019 after an 11-2 season in 2018, which recorded the most wins in program history. Former Brandon High School quarterback Gardner Minchiu was a senior.
Leach replaced Joe Morehead, who was fired after two seasons in Starkville. Morehead went 14-12 at Mississippi State.
Leach has an overall record of 158-107 in major coaching stops at Michigan State University, Texas Tech, and Washington State. Leach has brought Texas Tech and Washington State programs to unprecedented levels. He also led Tech to its only 11-win season in program history in 2008.
Known for his air raid attack system, Leach has coached some of the best offenses in college football over the past two decades. 2019 Washington State quarterback Anthony Gordon led the country in passing yards per game.
Gordon threw for 429.2 yards per game. The second man on that list was 2019 Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow, who passed for 372 yards per game. Gordon has also thrown 48 touchdown passes this season, second only to Boro’s 55.
Leach is known for his comedic antics in press conferences, such as debating which Pac 12 mascot would win the scrimmage. He is one of the most recognizable faces and voices in college football.
Leach was controversially fired from Texas Tech for a legal reason in 2009 over an incident involving a player who suffered a concussion on December 16 of that year. The player was Adam James, son of former SMU star running back Craig James.
According to USA Today Sports, the elder James told then-Texas technical advisor Kent Hance in an email that his son was being punished by Leach for being injured and that he was locked in a locker for hours while he loaded the rest of the team with daily routines in preparation for the Alamo Bowl, which was from scheduled to be played two weeks later.
Leach vigorously denied the allegations, but was suspended by the university on December 28. He was dismissed on December 30th.
Leach’s first public comments came after his termination of his employment with the Interview with The New York Times It was released on January 1, 2010. In the interview, Leach denied that he abused James. He said he was ordered to bring James “out of the light”.
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