Lane Kiffin remembers Mike Leach: ‘I can’t imagine college football without him’

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The college football world lost one of the game's legendary coaches Monday night, as Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach died of complications from a heart condition. He was 61. 

Leach spent 21 years as a head coach, with stops at Texas Tech and Washington State before becoming the head coach in Starkville in 2020. 

Mississippi State Bulldogs head coach Mike Leach and Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin chat prior to their game on Nov. 24, 2022, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi. (Chris McDill/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

While at Mississippi State, Leach went 19-17, winning eight games in his final season. 

MIKE LEACH, LONGTIME COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACH, DEAD AT 61

Against the Bulldogs' chief rival – Ole Miss – Leach went 1-2, winning the last game he coached against Lane Kiffin and the Rebels in 2022. 

Kiffin, who also coached against Leach when both were in charge of programs in the Pac-12, released a statement Tuesday remembering "The Pirate."

Head coach Mike Leach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs before the game against the Auburn Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium on Nov. 5, 2022. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

"I truly loved Coach Leach and every minute I shared with him," Kiffin said in a statement. "I have been able to work with several of his former players and coaches, and they have told me so many stories about the impact he had on their lives. Going back to our years together in the Pac-12, I have always felt tremendous respect and admiration for coach, his unique personality and his innovative mind, and I can’t imagine college football without him. I’m grateful to be part of his final win, hug him and watch him walk off like the winner he is. 

"I know God is welcoming home the Pirate now."

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Leach, one of the most eccentric coaches in college football, went 158-107 in his 21 seasons, going 8-9 in bowl games. 

Mike Leach of the Bulldogs and Lane Kiffin of the Rebels talk before the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Nov. 24, 2022, in Oxford, Mississippi. (Justin Ford/Getty Images)

Well known for the "Air Raid" offense, Leach has an impressive coaching tree, with Arizona Cardinals' Kliff Kingsbury, USC head coach Lincoln Riley, TCU’s Sonny Dykes, and Houston’s Dana Holgorsen all coaching under Leach. 

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"There is no way I would be where I am today if not for Mike Leach and everything he taught me about the game," Kingsbury said, according to ESPN. "Truly one of the most innovative offensive minds in football, he was more than a coach. He was a mentor, a friend and one of the most special people I've ever met."