Texas Tech and the Leach Years

Deep in the heart of the Big Twelve Conference the Texas Tech Raiders - otherwise

known as "Tech" have been playing hard-nosed football since the year 1925. Given the importance of football in Texas, this should come as no surprise to any football fan anywhere. The program has not been a powerhouse on the national stage, but it has had a great degree of success within its conference affiliation, winning 11 conference titles and remaining competitive over the course of its existence. Over its long history, there is one period that definitely stands out when it comes to success, and that period was from 2001 until 2009 - a series of consecutive seasons that saw the Red Raiders of Texas Tech garner a winning season in every year. The oddest part of that is that their coach during that period was one of the rare coaches who had no experience playing the game.

The coming of Mike Leach

Mike Leach's hiring by the University was something of an aberration by most coaching standards. Football coaches almost uniformly have actual playing experience under their belt, but Leach had never donned a team uniform and lined up on scrimmage in his life. What Leach did have, however, was an ability to analyze the game, develop strategies and teaching methodologies, and get his team to buy into his concepts. Whatever reservations anyone might have had with respect to his hiring, it did not take long for Leach to put them to rest. He began his career by establishing a winning season, and continued that success every year he coached. While he was at Tech, the Red Raiders enjoyed one winning season after another, all of which saw them playing in postseason bowl games. Leach's five and four record in those bowl games also makes him the most successful postseason coach the team has ever had.

His secret

There is no question that Leach's true passion in the game rests in the area of offense. He cut his coaching teeth, so to speak, as an offensive coach at several schools prior to taking the job at Tech, and helped each of those schools to create passing offenses that lit up scoreboards across the nation. His variation on the spread offense has been mimicked by other teams through the years, though few have had the success with it that Leach did. In addition, his ability to turn quarterbacks like Tim Couch into top ranked draft picks has been well documented.

The Insight Bowl

Viewers of the 2006 Insight Bowl were given a clear example of the Texas Tech offense in action. With his team down by more than 30 points in the third quarter, Leach did what few other coaches would dare - he unleashed his spread offense attack against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in one last-ditch effort to even the score. By the end of regulation, the score was tied. By the end of overtime, the Red Raiders had managed the largest postseason come from behind victory in history, winning by three.

Leach was suspended at the end of the 2009 season over allegations that he had mistreated one of his players. Though he never disputed the charges, Leach still refused to apologize to the player, resulting in his termination by the university. He is presently in the process of suing Texas Tech for wrongfully firing him.

Texas Tech and the Leach Years

By: Lloyd Mann

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