Auburn basketball honors Mike Leach ahead of Georgia State game

The Auburn Men’s Basketball team honored former Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach, who died earlier this week after a heart attack left him in critical condition, ahead of their home game Wednesday night against Georgia State.

Auburn athletic director John Cohen, who previously held the same position at Mississippi State and was the man that hired Leach back in 2019, posted a photo of the Jumbotron during a moment of silence before tip-off.

Honoring The Pirate in Neville Arena🏴‍☠️ pic.twitter.com/DnmfUQLIja

— John Cohen (@JohnCohenAD) December 15, 2022

As games continue to be played throughout the SEC, and all over the country, Leach is likely to be honored in numerous ways.

The Tigers went on to defeat Georgia State and improve to 9-1 on the young season. They’ll next battle USC this Sunday at 5:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN.

Mississippi State coach Mike Leach dead at 61

Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach has died after a medical situation that unfolded on Dec. 11 and was later identified as a massive heart attack. He was 61 years old. 

According to the release from Mississippi State, Leach passed away from complications due to a heart condition on Monday night, December 12.

In a statement, the Leach family said: “Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world.  Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father’s life.”  

Mississippi State University President Mark E. Keenum also released a statement on the passing of the Leach: “Coach Mike Leach cast a tremendous shadow not just over Mississippi State University, but over the entire college football landscape. His innovative ‘Air Raid’ offense changed the game. Mike’s keen intellect and unvarnished candor made him one of the nation’s true coaching legends. His passing brings great sadness to our university, to the Southeastern Conference, and to all who loved college football. I will miss Mike’s profound curiosity, his honesty, and his wide-open approach to pursuing excellence in all things. 
 
“Mike’s death also underscores the fragility and uncertainty of our lives. Three weeks ago, Mike and I were together in the locker room celebrating a hard-fought victory in Oxford. Mike Leach truly embraced life and lived in such a manner as to leave no regrets. That’s a worthy legacy. May God bless the Leach family during these days and hours. The prayers of the Bulldog family go with them.”

Leach suffered a massive heart attack which led to the him taking an ambulance to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson on Sunday, according to the Clarion Ledger. Upon arrival to the home, EMTs used a defibrillator machine and delivered multiple shocks to restore normal heart rhythm, per the report. Leach was transported by helicopter to UMMC after being stabilized, per the report. He was listed in critical condition on Monday following his heart attack, according to a release from the school.

On3’s Riley Gates contributed to this report