Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach was in critical condition on Monday morning after suffering a medical emergency at his home in Starkville on Sunday, according to the school.
The 61-year-old longtime head coach, previously with Washington State and Texas Tech, was stricken by a "massive" heart attack and his situation remains "dire," according to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger.
Leach was thought to have suffered seizures "with the possibility of brain damage," the report said. The coach did not receive medical attention for 10-15 minutes after falling ill, and EMTs used a defibrillator to shock his heart back into rhythm.
Leach was stabilized at a county hospital before he was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, according to the report.
“Mississippi State University head football coach Mike Leach remains in critical condition at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson," the schools said in a statement. "Mike’s family is with him and appreciates the overwhelming expressions of love and support for the coach, but also requests that their family’s privacy be respected at this time.
"That is the extent of information that MSU has available regarding Coach Leach's condition. And the university will make no other comment at this time."
Leach is in his third season with the Bulldogs, after eight seasons with Wazzu and 10 in Lubbock. The team went 8-4 overall and 4-4 in conference play this season, and were set to play Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 2.
According to Mississippi State, defensive coordinator Zach Arnett would be taking over head coaching duties in Leach's absence.
Leach has long been regarded as one of the most colorful characters in college football's coaching ranks, often making silly and bizarre remarks to reporters at press conferences. At Texas Tech his fascination with the history of pirates became a celebrated meme, and he implored his players to "swing their swords."
On the field, he has enjoyed plenty of success, compiling a career record of 158-107 and helping to main stream pass-heavy attacks through his "air raid offense." His best seasons came with 12th-ranked Texas Tech in 2008 and 10th-ranked Washington State in 2018, with both teams going 11-2. He has coached several future notable NFL players, including Michael Crabtree, Danny Amendola, Andre Dillard, and Gardner Minshew.
He left Lubbock amid scandal following the 2009 season, after he was fired with cause for allegedly locking a concussed player in a dark room. He later sued the school to recover the lost salary.
On social media, Leach's medical situation was met with disbelief and an outpouring of well wishes from the college football community.
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