An Evening With Mike Leach
September 14, 2021 | Football
STARKVILLE – I've regarded Mike Leach to be the most interesting man in college football long before he or I were employed by Mississippi State.
That's why when my writing/ podcast partner Joel Coleman and I were offered the opportunity to tag along with Leach for an evening, I jumped all over it. Sure, I've interviewed him in person and over the phone and even texted with the man, but this was a chance to spend some extended time with him.
Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021
6:30 p.m. Our journey begins at Davis Wade Stadium just as the Bulldogs are wrapping up their weekly "Thursday Night Football" practice in which many of the freshmen and other players further down the depth chart get a chance to scrimmage against one another.
6:49 p.m. After a quick stop at the Seal Football Complex, Leach gets into MSU Associate Athletic Director for Communications Brandon Langlois' car along with Joel and myself. Brandon gets the honor of chauffeuring us around all night with Leach riding shotgun and Joel and I in the backseat of our boss' ride. We are headed to the first "Dawg Talk" of the year, Leach's weekly live radio show during the season.
Leach is still wearing the same clothes he came off the practice field in: A maroon low profile cap with the "Walking Bully" logo on it, a maroon Adidas shirt with a large "Mississippi State" logo, khaki cargo shorts and flip flops.
6:56 p.m. We are rolling through the Cotton District when Leach asks Brandon "Have you eaten at that new pizza joint yet?" The conversation quickly turns into a ranking of the best local pizza places in Starkville. Leach has already tried nearly all of them.
However, it doesn't take long to get to the middle of Main Street from the Cotton District so we never were able to come up with a consensus top place. We were discussing the concept of Chicago deep dish pizza as we pulled into the reserved parking space in front of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership building.
6:59 p.m. There's a maroon-clad crowd awaiting Leach's arrival. He waves and shakes a few hands on his way to the mobile stage parked on South Lafayette Street. It's there that Neil Price, the voice of the Bulldogs, hands Leach a headset and Dawg Talk is moments away from going live.
7:00 p.m. Dawg Talk is live and on the air. It's a nice setup, with strings of lightbulbs stretched across the street overhead and tall circular tables for fans to gather around.
7:05 p.m. During the first commercial break, Leach has already kicked off his flip flops and gotten comfortable. He walks to the edge of the stage barefooted and starts shaking hands and taking pictures with fans.
7:11 p.m. Leach is presented with big, thick burger and onion rings (also big and thick) from Bulldog Burger. "I can't say I'm the biggest burger expert but Bulldog Burger is as good as any hamburger I've had here. They have a bunch of varieties and they brand the bun with all kinds of different stuff. This one's got a pirate on it, which who doesn't like pirates?"
7:13 p.m. Neil asks Leach if he has a favorite pirate movie. Leach mentions the early Pirates of the Caribbean flicks and Treasure Island but seems to settle on Swiss Family Robinson. "Maybe one of the most underrated movies, Swiss Family Robinson. You've got a really cool treehouse. You've got pirates. You've got some cool grenades they make. What's not to like about that?"
7:26 p.m. Dawg Talk returns from commercial and Neil starts describing the atmosphere and brings up the Jimmy Buffett song "Woman Going Crazy on Caroline Street". Leach reveals that he lives one block from Caroline Street in Key West, Fla.
Neil: "Is there a woman going crazy on Caroline Street, can you confirm that?"
Leach: "There's probably more than one."
7:29 p.m. Using the hashtag #AskCoachLeach, a fan wants to know which he prefers – "rum or bourbon?"
Leach: "Whatever is nearest, whatever is the closest."
7:31 p.m. Leach is in the middle of answering a question from Neil about quarterback Will Rogers starting for him as a true freshman last season when a moth flies by the stage towards one of the lights that is setup beside it.
Leach: "We've got a really cool moth here, he likes that light."
7:42 p.m. The sun has set and the stage lights seem a little brighter now. A new sponsor, Mississippi Eyewear, has setup some sunglasses on the table in front of Leach. Neil is discussing the shades and Leach reaches over to try them on himself, only to realize he may have picked up the wrong pair.
Neil: "You've got a little bit of a Truman Capote look going on there."
Leach: "I bet I do. I think these are women's sunglasses."
7:45 p.m. Neil asks Leach about his time at the Neshoba County Fair during the summer.
Leach: "Outstanding. It's addicting. It's like Key West in that you just walk around and you'll meet good people and smell great food cooking. It's so good that I kind of wish they did it year round."
"The Neshoba County Fair reinforces the fact that good people and limited items are kind of the better way to go."
"The Neshoba County Fair un-bogs it. Nobody is messing with their phones. Everybody is sleeping in these bunks framed out with 2x4's and plywood. I didn't see any unhappy people there. Even the eye-rolling teenage types were having a good time. I thought it was a heck of an experience."
7:58 p.m. A male and female mannequin draped from head to toe in Mississippi State gear from Maroon & Co. stand just off the stage to Leach's left. According to the commercial, they are named "Anita Cowbell" and "Ben A. Statefan".
Leach: "They look great in the clothes but they don't have a lot of personality though."
8:08 p.m. The radio show is over and it's time for the four of us to get back in the car to head for his speaking engagement at the Starkville Quarterback Club.
8:17 p.m. There's a discussion in the car about what was the last movie we all went to see in the theater. That conversation somehow shifted back to food again and Leach revealed what his go-to snacks were at the movie theater concession stand.
They are as follows:
8:22 p.m. We arrive at the Starkville Country Club and Leach points towards Joel and I and tells the man at the door, "They're with Brandon."
(I can't say I blame him. I'd disassociate myself from riffraff like Joel and I as quickly as I could too if I were in his flip flops.)
8:25 p.m. It's a big turnout. The crowd spills into the adjoining room. Leach speaks candidly about a variety of topics, including that Rogers will start at quarterback on Saturday and true freshman wide receiver RaRa Thomas will play.
8:31 p.m. Leach turns it over for questions and the first one is about his cameo appearance season 4 of the hit TV show "Friday Night Lights". In the episode "After the Fall", Leach meets coach Eric Taylor at a gas station and asks him for directions to Lubbock, home of Texas Tech where Leach was coaching at the time.
Leach then recognizes Taylor as the coach at Dillon East and tells him he's lost his "inner pirate" and encourages him to "swing your sword".
Leach revealed to boosters in Starkville that he still occasionally talks to Kyle Chandler, who played coach Taylor on the show, and the two essentially improvised the scene. Chandler is eating a burrito in the scene and Leach said by the time they were finished shooting, there was a trash can full of half-eaten burritos.
8:46 p.m. Leach discusses the Bulldogs' grueling offeseason program and how good a job strength and conditioning coach Tyson Brown has done getting his players in shape for the upcoming season.
9 p.m. Leach's program ended quite a while ago but he remains at the front of the room shaking hands, signing autographs and posing for pictures with as many fans that want to come meet him.
9:07 p.m. We are back in the car and Brandon is driving us the wrong way out of the country club. There's discussion of which neighborhood assistant coaches Steve Spurrier Jr. and Darcel McBath live in and just how much Starkville has grown in recent years. We also come to the conclusion that the town is basically bookended by Wal-Marts.
9:25 p.m. We arrive outside of the amphitheater on campus for a surprise unannounced appearance at Cowbell Yell pep rally. Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" is blaring as we climb the stairs to the rear of the stage. When we reach the top, there are thousands upon thousands of phone flashlights waving and Leach is taking it all in as we stand hidden behind members of the Famous Maroon Band.
9:30 p.m. The song ends and MSU Director of Spirit and Fan Engagement Chris Opheim calls Leach out onto the stage to a roaring ovation from the students. Leach, still wearing the same outfit he came off the practice field in, waves to the crowd and takes the mic.
"Ring those cowbells, hold up your lighters if you'd like, or your phone, whatever and let 'er rip this weekend! Together, our players, our coaches and you guys create the most tremendous atmosphere in college football."
9:37 p.m. That was quite an adrenaline rush for sure and we are all back in the car headed to drop Leach off at home. Our car conversation for this stretch of the trip is TV shows and documentaries. I was happy to learn that Leach thoroughly enjoys my favorite show "Yellowstone". Brandon has just started a new show called "Dr. Death" based on a true story that has definitely piqued Leach's interests.
9:49 p.m. We arrive at Leach's place, and it's a gorgeous piece of property that I've passed by many, many times over the years. He and his wife are just getting settled in after doing some remodeling. Leach hops out and we hand him two takeout boxes of food from the backseat and said our goodbyes. And just like that our evening with Leach ended.
Over a window of three or so hours, I got a peak into Leach's life and I am still just as intrigued with him as I was watching all those viral clips of him over the years. Who knows, maybe Joel and I will go on several more adventures with Leach. I sure hope so.
That's why when my writing/ podcast partner Joel Coleman and I were offered the opportunity to tag along with Leach for an evening, I jumped all over it. Sure, I've interviewed him in person and over the phone and even texted with the man, but this was a chance to spend some extended time with him.
Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021
6:30 p.m. Our journey begins at Davis Wade Stadium just as the Bulldogs are wrapping up their weekly "Thursday Night Football" practice in which many of the freshmen and other players further down the depth chart get a chance to scrimmage against one another.
6:49 p.m. After a quick stop at the Seal Football Complex, Leach gets into MSU Associate Athletic Director for Communications Brandon Langlois' car along with Joel and myself. Brandon gets the honor of chauffeuring us around all night with Leach riding shotgun and Joel and I in the backseat of our boss' ride. We are headed to the first "Dawg Talk" of the year, Leach's weekly live radio show during the season.
Leach is still wearing the same clothes he came off the practice field in: A maroon low profile cap with the "Walking Bully" logo on it, a maroon Adidas shirt with a large "Mississippi State" logo, khaki cargo shorts and flip flops.
6:56 p.m. We are rolling through the Cotton District when Leach asks Brandon "Have you eaten at that new pizza joint yet?" The conversation quickly turns into a ranking of the best local pizza places in Starkville. Leach has already tried nearly all of them.
However, it doesn't take long to get to the middle of Main Street from the Cotton District so we never were able to come up with a consensus top place. We were discussing the concept of Chicago deep dish pizza as we pulled into the reserved parking space in front of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership building.
6:59 p.m. There's a maroon-clad crowd awaiting Leach's arrival. He waves and shakes a few hands on his way to the mobile stage parked on South Lafayette Street. It's there that Neil Price, the voice of the Bulldogs, hands Leach a headset and Dawg Talk is moments away from going live.
7:00 p.m. Dawg Talk is live and on the air. It's a nice setup, with strings of lightbulbs stretched across the street overhead and tall circular tables for fans to gather around.
7:05 p.m. During the first commercial break, Leach has already kicked off his flip flops and gotten comfortable. He walks to the edge of the stage barefooted and starts shaking hands and taking pictures with fans.
7:11 p.m. Leach is presented with big, thick burger and onion rings (also big and thick) from Bulldog Burger. "I can't say I'm the biggest burger expert but Bulldog Burger is as good as any hamburger I've had here. They have a bunch of varieties and they brand the bun with all kinds of different stuff. This one's got a pirate on it, which who doesn't like pirates?"
7:13 p.m. Neil asks Leach if he has a favorite pirate movie. Leach mentions the early Pirates of the Caribbean flicks and Treasure Island but seems to settle on Swiss Family Robinson. "Maybe one of the most underrated movies, Swiss Family Robinson. You've got a really cool treehouse. You've got pirates. You've got some cool grenades they make. What's not to like about that?"
7:26 p.m. Dawg Talk returns from commercial and Neil starts describing the atmosphere and brings up the Jimmy Buffett song "Woman Going Crazy on Caroline Street". Leach reveals that he lives one block from Caroline Street in Key West, Fla.
Neil: "Is there a woman going crazy on Caroline Street, can you confirm that?"
Leach: "There's probably more than one."
7:29 p.m. Using the hashtag #AskCoachLeach, a fan wants to know which he prefers – "rum or bourbon?"
Leach: "Whatever is nearest, whatever is the closest."
7:31 p.m. Leach is in the middle of answering a question from Neil about quarterback Will Rogers starting for him as a true freshman last season when a moth flies by the stage towards one of the lights that is setup beside it.
Leach: "We've got a really cool moth here, he likes that light."
.@Coach_Leach checking out some new shades. pic.twitter.com/0OTOQfACaJ
— Joel Coleman (@JoelTColeman) September 3, 2021
7:42 p.m. The sun has set and the stage lights seem a little brighter now. A new sponsor, Mississippi Eyewear, has setup some sunglasses on the table in front of Leach. Neil is discussing the shades and Leach reaches over to try them on himself, only to realize he may have picked up the wrong pair.
Neil: "You've got a little bit of a Truman Capote look going on there."
Leach: "I bet I do. I think these are women's sunglasses."
7:45 p.m. Neil asks Leach about his time at the Neshoba County Fair during the summer.
Leach: "Outstanding. It's addicting. It's like Key West in that you just walk around and you'll meet good people and smell great food cooking. It's so good that I kind of wish they did it year round."
"The Neshoba County Fair reinforces the fact that good people and limited items are kind of the better way to go."
"The Neshoba County Fair un-bogs it. Nobody is messing with their phones. Everybody is sleeping in these bunks framed out with 2x4's and plywood. I didn't see any unhappy people there. Even the eye-rolling teenage types were having a good time. I thought it was a heck of an experience."
7:58 p.m. A male and female mannequin draped from head to toe in Mississippi State gear from Maroon & Co. stand just off the stage to Leach's left. According to the commercial, they are named "Anita Cowbell" and "Ben A. Statefan".
Leach: "They look great in the clothes but they don't have a lot of personality though."
8:08 p.m. The radio show is over and it's time for the four of us to get back in the car to head for his speaking engagement at the Starkville Quarterback Club.
8:17 p.m. There's a discussion in the car about what was the last movie we all went to see in the theater. That conversation somehow shifted back to food again and Leach revealed what his go-to snacks were at the movie theater concession stand.
They are as follows:
- Water
- Popcorn, no butter. "Popcorn varies dramatically at movie theaters."
- SweetTarts Ropes
- Haribo gummy bears
- Swedish fish? "I don't mess too much with those."
- Sprees? "Yeah, those are No. 1. I've smuggled those in before."
8:22 p.m. We arrive at the Starkville Country Club and Leach points towards Joel and I and tells the man at the door, "They're with Brandon."
(I can't say I blame him. I'd disassociate myself from riffraff like Joel and I as quickly as I could too if I were in his flip flops.)
8:25 p.m. It's a big turnout. The crowd spills into the adjoining room. Leach speaks candidly about a variety of topics, including that Rogers will start at quarterback on Saturday and true freshman wide receiver RaRa Thomas will play.
8:31 p.m. Leach turns it over for questions and the first one is about his cameo appearance season 4 of the hit TV show "Friday Night Lights". In the episode "After the Fall", Leach meets coach Eric Taylor at a gas station and asks him for directions to Lubbock, home of Texas Tech where Leach was coaching at the time.
Leach then recognizes Taylor as the coach at Dillon East and tells him he's lost his "inner pirate" and encourages him to "swing your sword".
Leach revealed to boosters in Starkville that he still occasionally talks to Kyle Chandler, who played coach Taylor on the show, and the two essentially improvised the scene. Chandler is eating a burrito in the scene and Leach said by the time they were finished shooting, there was a trash can full of half-eaten burritos.
8:46 p.m. Leach discusses the Bulldogs' grueling offeseason program and how good a job strength and conditioning coach Tyson Brown has done getting his players in shape for the upcoming season.
9 p.m. Leach's program ended quite a while ago but he remains at the front of the room shaking hands, signing autographs and posing for pictures with as many fans that want to come meet him.
9:07 p.m. We are back in the car and Brandon is driving us the wrong way out of the country club. There's discussion of which neighborhood assistant coaches Steve Spurrier Jr. and Darcel McBath live in and just how much Starkville has grown in recent years. We also come to the conclusion that the town is basically bookended by Wal-Marts.
9:25 p.m. We arrive outside of the amphitheater on campus for a surprise unannounced appearance at Cowbell Yell pep rally. Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" is blaring as we climb the stairs to the rear of the stage. When we reach the top, there are thousands upon thousands of phone flashlights waving and Leach is taking it all in as we stand hidden behind members of the Famous Maroon Band.
9:30 p.m. The song ends and MSU Director of Spirit and Fan Engagement Chris Opheim calls Leach out onto the stage to a roaring ovation from the students. Leach, still wearing the same outfit he came off the practice field in, waves to the crowd and takes the mic.
"Ring those cowbells, hold up your lighters if you'd like, or your phone, whatever and let 'er rip this weekend! Together, our players, our coaches and you guys create the most tremendous atmosphere in college football."
The Cowbell Yell was outstanding. See you tomorrow MSU Bulldogs! pic.twitter.com/Eu8RYpwGuR
— Mike Leach (@Coach_Leach) September 3, 2021
9:37 p.m. That was quite an adrenaline rush for sure and we are all back in the car headed to drop Leach off at home. Our car conversation for this stretch of the trip is TV shows and documentaries. I was happy to learn that Leach thoroughly enjoys my favorite show "Yellowstone". Brandon has just started a new show called "Dr. Death" based on a true story that has definitely piqued Leach's interests.
9:49 p.m. We arrive at Leach's place, and it's a gorgeous piece of property that I've passed by many, many times over the years. He and his wife are just getting settled in after doing some remodeling. Leach hops out and we hand him two takeout boxes of food from the backseat and said our goodbyes. And just like that our evening with Leach ended.
Over a window of three or so hours, I got a peak into Leach's life and I am still just as intrigued with him as I was watching all those viral clips of him over the years. Who knows, maybe Joel and I will go on several more adventures with Leach. I sure hope so.