(NEW YORK) — Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach has died following a heart attack on Sunday. Leach was 61 years old.
The school announced Leach’s death Tuesday morning.
“Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather,” the Leach family said in a statement. “He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father’s life.”
Leach was beloved by fans and the media for his folksy attitude and blunt interviews. Social media was filled with video clips of Leach on Sunday and Monday after it was announced he’d suffered a heart attack over the weekend.
Leach took over as coach at Mississippi State in 2020 and led the team to a 19-17 record over three seasons. The team, currently ranked No. 22 in the country, finished 8-4 this season and is slated to face Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa on Jan. 2.
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