REMEMBERING MIKE LEACH (Executive Session)
Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 198
(Senate - December 20, 2022) PDF
Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to pay
tribute to a very special man who was held dear by many Mississippians,
Mississippi State University head coach Mike Leach, who passed away on
December 12, 2022.
Today, thousands of Mississippians and people from across the country
will gather in Starkville to celebrate the life of Mike Leach, who
began his coaching at Mississippi State in 2020.
Coach Leach's quirkiness, youthful spirit, and dynamic coaching style
immediately endeared him to football fans across my State. His likeable
and unique personality broke barriers among schools. Whether you were
cheering for Mississippi State, Jackson State, Ole Miss, Southern, or
any other school, you couldn't help but chuckle at the entertaining sideline
interviews or admire how his "Air Raid" offense was changing the
game.
Coach Leach was an attorney. He started his coaching career shortly
after graduating from law school. Mike Leach made a lasting impact on
the game of football, to be sure, but, more importantly, his
extraordinary leadership and passion for the game made a lasting impact
on his players, his colleagues, and his loved ones.
These remarks can't fully encompass Mike Leach's life as a husband,
father, grandfather, scholar, mentor, and charitable man. Still,
Mississippi is blessed to have been able to call Mike Leach one of our
own these past years.
While our State mourns, we remain grateful for the memories and the
stories his legacy leaves.
My heart goes out to his family and the entire Bulldog family.
Hail State, and rest in peace, Coach.
I yield the floor.