Mike Leach Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Remembering Mike Leach's iconic 2019 news conference

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated 12/13/22

Fans and others flooded Twitter with memories of Mike Leach, the longtime college football coach who died Monday night at 61 following complications from a heart condition.

One standout memory comes from 2019, when Leach -- then Washington State head coach -- broke down each of the Pac-12 mascots.

Check out what he said about Oregon and its duck mascot at the 28-second mark.

Mike Leach was in peak form on a Pac-12 mascot battle.

Do Sun Devils have mythical powers? And if a Ute has a rifle, there's some definite problems. pic.twitter.com/FCE96RXawe
— Alyssa Charlston (@Alyssacharlston) September 16, 2019

The hilarious, deadpan presser came during Leach's eighth and final season at the helm with Washington State. Leach spent the last three seasons as the head coach at Mississippi State.

The No. 22 Bulldogs are scheduled to play against Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 2, with defensive coordinator Zach Arnett taking over.

The two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year's first head-coaching gig was his most successful one, as he went 84-43 (.661 winning percentage) with Texas Tech over 10 seasons from 2000 through 2009. He was 5-4 record in bowls.

Leach helped lead the Red Raiders to an 11-2 mark and appearance in the Cotton Bowl in 2008, a campaign in which the team reached as high as No. 2 in the AP college football poll.

He had winning records with the Cougars (55-47) and Bulldogs (19-17) as well. He finished his career with a 158-107 mark and 8-9 record in bowls.

The mascots news conference is one of many memorable and entertaining moments from his career. There will certainly never be another Mike Leach.

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