STARKVILLE — I wasn’t expecting Mike Leach to walk into the holiday party I attended Saturday night, but there he was, anyway.
Amid the sea of reporters and friends, perhaps the most recognizable man in Starkville strolled into the room, clad in maroon. He cracked jokes. He snapped photos. He praised the food.
In short, he was Mike Leach.
And now he’s gone.
Less than 24 hours after Leach made his appearance, he suffered a reported heart attack and was airlifted to University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Leach died there Monday night at the age of 61, leaving a void in the Mississippi State program and in the hearts of college football fans nationwide.
He should have had more time.
To die at 61 feels cruel, and for me, it particularly hits home. My dad recently turned 58. He’s in good health, but as I’ve recently been reminded, nothing is promised.
Seeing on Twitter the initial news of Leach’s hospitalization Sunday froze me with shock. Each subsequent update brought dread, and the feeling of seeing his death announced Tuesday morning was simply indescribable.
And this is a man with whom I won’t pretend I had some close, buddy-buddy relationship. We were in the same room for about 10 minutes twice a week for two years. At the party Saturday, I think he remembered my face; I’m admittedly not sure if he ever learned my name.
For this news to affect me as much as it has done means I can only imagine what it’s like for the people who REALLY knew Mike Leach. I cannot picture his players at Mississippi State — not to mention those at Washington State at Texas — must be feeling right now. How his coaching staff and the MSU administration must feel, rudderless, the anchor of Starkville’s great pirate ship suddenly gone.
Then there’s Leach’s family — his wife Sharon and their four kids. Leach’s son Cody was at the party, and I’m glad he was able to spend just a little more time with his busy dad. To say I know how they must feel would be a lie. I’ve been lucky enough never to lose anybody in my family so young. I hope I never have to.
Of course, it’s not just those closest to Leach who are affected by his untimely passing. I was awed by the scale of the social-media prayers the Bulldogs coach received on Sunday and Monday. They ranged from his coaching protégés — Lincoln Riley and Dana Holgorsen — to Southeastern Conference rivals like Sam Pittman and Brian Kelly. A pair of MSU players who recently transferred from the program, Dillon Johnson and Rara Thomas, both wished Leach well.
Even country music star Toby Keith on Monday morning encouraged Leach to “keep fighting.”
If that was up to Leach, he would have.
But he was called home Monday, far too soon.
And that will never feel fair.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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