Live from Southern California. This is the Jim Rome Show.

And again, I absolutely hate to start this day and I hate to start this show with some more bad news and today it's really sad news.

I iconic Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach has passed away at the age of 61 and college football is never going to be

the same without him because the entire sport and even arguably the NFL

itself changed because of Mike Leach and I'll get to that momentarily

and I'll explain what I mean by that. Initially there were reports of a quote personal health

issue at Leach's home in Starkville Sunday

that led to him being airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center

in Jackson. Then last night he passed away due to complications from a heart condition again he was only

61 years of age Mike Leach effectively or I should say affectionately known and appropriately known as the

Pirate.

He was 158 and 107 as a head coach was stops at Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State.

An amazing career really.

He coached in 19 Bowl games.

He was a two-time National Coach of the Year, a two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, a big 12

Coach of the Year.

So not only did he win.

Not only did he win in places where you were not supposed to win, but he won big in places where you were not supposed to win.

One of the rare college coaches who never played college football and the only major college

coach with a lot agree, major college head coach.

And although I frequently used the phrase one of one and it can be overused in cases

this dude truly was that in a profession where most head coaches say and do similar things, Leach was nothing like the rest.

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