Mike Leach's former college QB remembers late head coach: 'Always made me believe I was something special'
Gardner Minshew had second-most passing yards in NCAAF under Leach in 2018
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The death of Mike Leach shocked the football world, and in the wake of his untimely passing, his former players are speaking out about how much he meant to them.
Gardner Minshew, now the Philadelphia Eagles' backup quarterback, was Leach's quarterback at Washington State in 2018, where he developed into an NFL quarterback.
His 4,776 passing yards his senior year were the second-most in Division I college football behind Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins. Minshew's 38-touchdown effort and Alamo Bowl victory helped him get drafted in the sixth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019.
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Washington State Cougars quarterback Gardner Minshew and head coach Mike Leach react as balloons and confetti fall from the Alamodome ceiling following a game against the Iowa State Cyclones Dec. 28, 2018, in San Antonio, Texas. (Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Minshew spent his freshman year at Northwest Mississippi Community College and his sophomore and junior years at East Carolina, mostly as a backup.
Despite his tough journey into the NFL, Minshew said Leach always believed he could make it in professional football.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"He always made me believe and feel that I was something special and that I could succeed," an emotional Minshew said Wednesday. "That man means so much to me, and I'll always be grateful to him for that. …
Washington State head coach Mike Leach walks off the field at the end of warmups prior to the Holiday Bowl game between the Washington State Cougars and the Michigan State Spartans Dec. 28, 2017, at SDCCU Stadium in San Diego. (Chris Williams/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
"He was the first person I’ve ever been around who, just by the way he lived and how authentic he was, brings that out in the people around him, I never found myself more comfortable with myself than when I was with coach Leach. The way he believed in me — that belief, that’s something that really resonates, and that’s something I tell any parent, coach, teacher. The best thing you can do for a kid is believe in him. And he did that for me, and it changed my life."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Minshew joked that if he never transferred to Washington State, he'd be "coaching right now, getting my a-- ripped by Nick Saban probably twice a day."
"Couldn't be more indebted to (Leach) and the impact he's had on my life, my family's life. Really just can't put it into words I grateful I am for him," he added.
Head coach Mike Leach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs arrives at the stadium before a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Nov. 6, 2021, in Fayetteville, Ark. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Leach was the head coach of Mississippi State when he died Monday at the age of 61.