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‘My favorite coach before I met him’: Gardner Minshew says playing for Mike Leach is a ‘dream’ as he excused himself from Eagles practice to speak at the former coach’s funeral after the death of a heart attack at the 61 years
Gardner Minshew was absent from Eagles practice Tuesday when he spoke at Mike Leach’s funeral, where he and many others fondly remembered the longtime coach.
Minshew spent a season playing with Leach at Washington State, and while their time together was brief, it had a profound impact on him.
After an unspectacular two years in East Carolina, Minshew led the nation in Starkville and was drafted by the Jaguars shortly thereafter.
Gardner Minshew spoke at Mike Leach’s memorial service on Tuesday
Lincoln Riley shared fond memories of Leach at funeral in Mississippi
“To say that playing for Coach Leach was a dream, that really doesn’t cover it. He was my favorite coach long before I met him,’ he said Tuesday. according to Deseret Newsas he recalled following Leach’s career even before he played high school football.
‘It changed what I thought was possible for me.’
Minshew, who could start Sunday as Jalen Hurts is dealing with a shoulder injury, was far from the only person to share kind words about Leach on Tuesday.
Mike Leach died at the age of 61 after a heart attack last week
Bob Stoops was also among those who honored Leach: they worked together in Oklahoma
“I certainly think his legacy will go far beyond his offensive creativity, the wins, the crazy press conferences, all the great stories. … He really invested in other people,’ said USC coach Lincoln Riley, who previously coached with Leach at Texas Tech.
‘It’s a great reminder to all of us to take a little bit of your time and invest it in other people and get to know them and seek to help them.
‘It’s amazing how you can change a person’s life. He certainly did it for me, and I’m really grateful.
Leach was memorialized by a large number of people Tuesday in Starkville, Mississippi.
Former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who briefly worked with Leach there, added: “Maybe all of us who get those late-night calls from Mike, let’s reach out and call each other after midnight once in a while.”
Leach died on December 12 after suffering a heart attack at his home the previous day.
He was taken to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, but ultimately passed away at the age of 61.