LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- Bears coach Matt Eberflus has joined his peers in the football community in mourning the sudden passing of Mississippi State coach Mike Leach, who died Monday night at the age of 61 due to complications from a heart condition.
Leach was revered as a unique character in football and as a pioneer in schematic innovation, as he built and led the Air Raid offense that has since spread throughout the game. His coaching tree includes the likes of Kliff Kingsbury (Arizona Cardinals), Lincoln Riley (USC), Josh Heupel (Tennessee), Sonny Dykes (TCU), Dave Aranda (Baylor) and many more.
Now in his first year with the Bears, Eberflus felt Leach's impact through their four matchups as Big 12 foes. Leach was head coach at Texas Tech from 2000-'09, while Eberflus was defensive coordinator at Missouri from 2001-'08 and tasked with forming a game plan to contain the Red Raiders' high-octane offense that was just taking flight.
"I just want to first say to his family, my deepest sympathies," Eberflus said Wednesday. "For such a young age, but to lose a legend like that. And he made me better. The first time we played him, he beat us pretty good. We got a chance to play him three or four more times after that during the course of my career there. What did I learn from that? How to defend the spread, how to defend that tempo style. I became a better coach by going against him. I really appreciate him for that."
Leach's Red Raiders won 52-38 in their first matchup against Eberflus' Tigers in 2002 in Lubbock, Texas. But Eberflus' defenses made necessary adjustments to help Missouri win its next three games against Texas Tech, over which the Tigers allowed 31, 21 and 10 points against the Red Raiders.
Leach coached at Washington State from 2012-'19 and Mississippi State from 2020-'22. He's survived by his wife, Sharon; four children, Janeen, Kim, Cody and Kiersten; and three grandchildren.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
Listen live to 670 The Score via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker

