Hey, buddy. This beers for you, Mike and cousin Shane, that SEC podcast loves the Pirate and the Pirate loves that SEC podcast, Hale State.

Well, welcome into a special, well, special is not the right word, but just a different show here.

Obviously, you know, everyone knows the news by now, but Mike Leach passed away Monday at the age of 61.

And we just want to do something a little different, you know, it's obviously a sad time for Mississippi State and the SEC, Mike Leach's family and just everybody that really appreciated Mike Leach and, you know, it doesn't have to all be sad, though Shane, you know what?

I mean, yeah, you treasure these people because because what they gave you and what they had and I did it with with our buddy JC Sherbert, I was on his show, just today kind of talking about this.

And something that kind of had hit me and I wanted to just make note of, you know, Mike Leach was the only guy that was not a head coach in the SEC that we played his clips regularly all this show.

And yeah, we just hoped and prayed that one day he would find his way to the SEC and it happened and it was a great ride, but it was cut tragically short, you know what?

Yeah, it really was, man, and fans of the show know, you know, when he was up there in Washington, I mean, we've been fans of I have since Texas Tech, I remember countless times picking a dynasty with with the red raiders, you know, so that I could run that run and gun.

And I just, it transformed how I thought of college football and, you know, and it is sad, you know, it's, it's, it's, we've never done anything.

I was trying to think I don't remember any SEC coaches, you know, you know, head coaches anyway. I mean, we've had some assistance that, you know, passed away, but it's tough when it's, when it's so sudden.

And, you know, it went from, he's in the hospital to, he was rushed in the hospital to, to now he's not going to survive that hospital trip. That's, that's a lot to take in and, and I feel so bad for his family, you know, I recently lost my mother-in-law.

And, you know, you lose somebody close like that to your core. I can, right here around the holidays, man, it's, it's not, you know, I don't know if you're the prey in type, but if you are, you know, they could really use it right now.

So, but like you said, on a lighter note, one thing that I do love is, is the constant content that we, videos, I've not even seen. I thought I saw all the pirate videos, you know, and I'm watching this. I'm like, oh, how the hell did I miss this one? You know, this is a gym.

I wish, I wish we could have known him better, man. I wish we could have sat down with him and picked his brain and, and gotten closer and maybe have some of our own stories, but it really, you see how much he's impacted, you know, players and coaches and media and, you know, when these stories are coming out, he's just, he's a piece of a lot of our lives. So, Mississippi State lost a good one, man.

Yeah, no, I mean, he's such a unique coach, and he was featured on 60 minutes. I mean, how many coaches could say that? He went to law school, only to take a, he got married and he took a coaching job, Shane, for $3,000 a year. He's coached football in Finland. Yeah, this is just the most unique guy that we probably ever had in the SEC. And of all the tributes here.

Lane Kiffin, I thought had the very best one, and I'm going to read it here. It's not very long, but he, this is from Lane Kiffin. I truly loved Coach Leech and every minute I shared with him. I have been able to work with several of his former players and coaches, and they all have told so many amazing stories about the impact he had on their lives.

Going back to our years together in the Pac-12, I have always felt tremendous respect and admiration for Coach, his unique personality, his innovative mind, and can't imagine college football without him. I'm grateful to be part of his final win, hug him, and watch him walk off the field like the winner he is.

And that's a powerful statement from, you know, his, what is his main rival in the SEC, you know what, but that, again, that's just, that's the impact of Coach Leech even, even his biggest rival is just devastated to see him go, you know what?

It's so wild watching that game, and those two interact especially. I remember the mask, him pulling the mask down, you know, at the Coach's conference, and then you think, like, these guys didn't hate each other, like maybe, yeah, the players did, and maybe the fans did or whatever, but there was no chance in hell, these guys were going to be fighting at the 50 yard line, you know?

You know, it just wasn't in their DNA, and, you know, so again, just, just more stories like this is what we admire the most about Coach, and, uh, shit, man, it just, I wish we had, you just don't know, man, you don't know.

I always wondered what, what the Pirates football would look like in the SEC, and that's one of the things, he went on somewhere else and talked on a segment, you may post that, but, you know, that was one of the knocks on him.

The knocks on him was that, that style of offense would not survive in the SEC. They're too physical, the defense would read them, and, and it was just, I don't know, man, it's, we got to see it, but I felt like it got took short, man.

...