Starkville resident reveals how Mike Leach saved their restaurant business before passing

One thing about the late Mike Leach was certain: He didn’t need, or necessarily want, others to tell him what to do. In football, and probably more so in life.

And he didn’t need anyone to tell him to go and write a check to save a favorite restaurant of his from going under financially post-Covid. That’s apparently what Leach did to help keep “WTF@” — standing for “Where The Food At” — afloat, according to a story from SI’s Ross Dellenger.

Leach was honored with a public memorial service by Mississippi State on Tuesday and the story of Leach helping to save a restaurant after becoming friends with the owner, Shan Suber, is just another on top of the pile of offbeat Leach stories.

According to Suber — who Leach originally bonded with over extra-crispy wings — the coach came to her restaurant one day in September and wrote a check that covered bills and future payments on the restaurant lease for at least a few months.

“We were hanging on by a thread. I didn’t ask for anything,” Suber said in the story. “He willingly did that. I don’t know why he chose me.”

On top of feeding Leach at her own eatery, Suber would come and cook for Leach along with family and friends at his house. Apparently he was particularly fond of the seafood that Suber prepared, including lobster, salmon and crab. She’d drink with him and friends long into the night.

According to the story from Dellenger, Suber never knew that Leach was sick. She and assistant coach Gege Wells had as recently as November cooked a big meal and ate with guests at his house.

She and Wells were apparently working on Christmas meal plans in the days before Leach was hospitalized and eventually died.

“We were just with this man making plans to cook Christmas dinner!” Wells said in the story. “We are shook.”

But if it weren’t for Leach, Suber and WTF@ might not still be serving wings and seafood in Starkville.