Texas Tech – Mike Leach And The Red Raiders

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

The fact that Leach had no college football experience as a player did make his hiring something out of the ordinary, but Texas Tech seemed nonplussed by the notion. It has been common -almost expected, in fact – that college coaches have had at least some personal experience in a college football uniform prior to entering the coaching ranks. Leach had none. He did possess ideas, however, and it was those ideas put into practice that enabled Leach to have the success that he did. His teams all believed in what he wanted them to do, and because they believed, they achieved. Leach’s first season with the team was a winning one, beginning a pattern that would be repeated throughout his tenure with the school. His years at Tech saw the team playing in a bowl game every season, with them winning five of the nine they played. Those wins gave Leach the record for Texas Tech coaches in the postseason.

Offensive genius

When evaluating the true secret to Leach’s success as the Texas Tech coach, it is important to look at this offensive history. As an offensive coach at several schools prior to his head coaching job at Tech, Leach built a reputation for developing explosive passing offenses that could quickly put points on the board. It was his personally unique style of the spread offense, and it caught fire with many other coaches across the nation – with varying degrees of success. He also established himself as a coach who knew what it took to help a raw talent quarterback such as Tim Couch and help them develop into players who could be drafted in the NFL’s first round.

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.

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