Shane Beamer on Mike Leach: 'What a tragic loss for college football'
Shane Beamer never got the chance to work with Mike Leach, but he enjoyed getting to know him.
“When you go to SEC head coaches’ meetings, you sit alphabetically by schools,” Beamer said. “So it goes Mississippi, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt. So we’re kind of on our own little side usually.”
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Leach, Mississippi State’s head coach, died on Monday following complications from a heart condition. He was 61 years old.
“I want to send my condolences and thoughts and prayers to the Leach family in Starkville, Mississippi, Mississippi State community,” Beamer said. “What a tragic loss for college football.”
The news hits close to home for Beamer, who has ties to the state.
“My wife is from Starkville and a Mississippi State grad. Her parents and family still live over there,” he said. “I have a special relationship with that community.”
Beamer worked at Mississippi State from 2004-06. He served as the Bulldogs’ cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator for two years before coaching running backs in his final year.
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Following Leach’s passing, Beamer spoke to Southern California head coach Lincoln Riley, who spent seven years working for Leach at Texas Tech.
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“I told Lincoln, I felt like I did know him just from all the stories I had heard from Lincoln about coach Leach,” said Beamer, who worked with Riley at Oklahoma for three years. “When I was at Oklahoma, I think there were 16 people on our staff that had either played or coached for Mike Leach at different places.”
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Leach spent 35 years working in college football. He found success as a head coach at Texas Tech and Washington State before joining Mississippi State in 2020. He was a three-time coach of the year — twice in the Pac-12 and once in the Big 12.
Leach notably used the Air Raid offense, which worked well for him. His teams led the nation in passing in 10 of his 21 seasons as a head coach. His career comes to an end with 158 wins, the fifth-most among active Power Five coaches.
“I have a ton of respect for him,” Beamer said. “Heartbreaking, tough day for college football as well.”
