OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI - NOVEMBER 24: head coach Mike Leach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on November 24, 2022 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)

It’s a tough day for college football across the nation after news spread Tuesday morning about the passing of former Missisippi State Head Coach Mike Leach.

Leach, 61, died Monday night from complications from a heart condition according to reports.

According to ESPN, Leach “suffered what the university initially described, in a news release, as a “personal health issue” at his home in Starkville on Sunday, which required him to be airlifted to the UMMC in Jackson, about 125 miles from Mississippi State.

“Leach, in his third season as Mississippi State’s coach, had told ESPN after the regular season concluded that he struggled with pneumonia during the season but was feeling better.”

Leach held a record of 158-107 over 21 seasons as a head coach at three different programs, Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State. He had just completed his third season as head coach of the Bulldogs posting an 8-4 record. Mississippi State is slated to play Illinois in the RealiQuest Bowl in Tampa Bay on January 2.

The college football world reacted on Tuesday with an outpouring of support for Leach and his family.

  • Mississippi State statement

  • "Terrible Day for College Football"

  • "Believed in Us when others didn't"

  • RGIII comments

  • Guy had fun

  • More than a coach giving interviews

  • favorite candy?

  • Pac-12 mascots

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