Mike Leach Fired: My Take

Hey all, since I decided to attend the Purdue-Iowa game last night, I was unable to put together a Big 10 Bowl Preview post before the Big 10 started playing. Nice to see Wisconsin pick up a big W for the conference, even though it did have to be against the U.

However, overshadowing the bowl season is today's firing of Texas Tech Mike Leach. For an outsider looking in, it’s no big deal, coaches get fired all the time at the end of the year. But how many coaches get fired in the first year of a 3 year contract extension and with the team's bowl game two days away? The short story behind the firing is that Leach mistreated Adam James, a wideout who also happens to be the son of ESPN analyst Craig James, by putting him in an electrical closet and a training room with no food or water for an extended period of time after being diagnosed with a mild concussion. However, I believe this story runs much deeper than that simple analysis.

Let's take a trip back to the 1990's. Texas Tech is a team struggling to find an identity in the Big 12, a conference dominated by Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas State. After struggling for a couple of years, the Red Raiders turn to a coach who is known for his love of Blackbeard, flintlock pistols and the gun and shoot offense. He spent years as an offensive coordinator, turning Tim Couch into a number 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, and Josh Heupel into a Heisman Trophy runner-up. As soon as Leach took over at Tech in 2000, they began a streak of 10 straight bowl appearances, which is still running today. Their team morphed into one dominated by the spread offense which was capable of ridiculous numbers and a defense that was simply told to not give up more points than the offense scored, no matter what it took.

During his tenure at Texas Tech, he produced quarterbacks that put up insane passing numbers such as Kliff Kingsbury, B.J Symons, Cody Hodges and most recently Graham Harrell. Last year, Texas Tech knocked off number 1 Texas in Lubbock on an exciting last pass from Harrell to budding NFL superstar wideout Michael Crabtree. Tech finished the year at number 12 with an 11-2 record, and was ranked as high as #2 in the country.

However, the offseason was interesting to say the least. Leach was not sure if TT would extend his contract and he interviewed for the vacant jobs at Washington and at Auburn. Many people, including Harrell, believed that Leach would leave for a new challenge with a higher payday, as Tech seemed uninterested in paying Leach for the success he had. However, Texas Tech relented and extended his contract through 2013.

I believe that the contract extension is the main reason for Leach's firing. On Friday, he was due an 800,000 dollar bonus which he can no longer collect. Texas Tech also claims to have fired Leach with cause, which means he is not eligible to receive the 400,000 dollars per year that he is owed for being fired, per the contract terms. This is a HUGE loss for Texas Tech, as Leach invigorated the community and was able to get enough good recruits into Lubbock to field a competitive team. This story is far from over, as a large legal battle is about to unfold over Leach's contract, but as Joe Schadd of ESPN reported, Texas Tech was looking for a reason to fire Leach to avoid paying him all of his money, and the bizarre James story has provided a reason. As of now, it seems to be a he said, she said story with James and the coaching staff having different accounts of the same situation.

No matter the result, Texas Tech has lost a coach who led them from the cellar of the Big 12 South to a contender for good bowls year in and year out, and I believe that they will struggle mightily to find a coach like Leach to lead them to the same success he had. Leach should hook onto another team next season and college football fans will be able to enjoy his electrifying offense at a new locale.