A Grip on Sports: WSU picks the perfect game on a perfect night to honor Mike Leach’s legacy

A GRIP ON SPORTS • It’s a big day on the Palouse today. Or maybe, to be more accurate, a big night. The Cougars, 1-0 in their first year of college football purgatory, welcome Texas Tech to Gesa Field in a key nonconference matchup for both. But that main event also serves as the backdrop for the night’s highlight: Washington State welcomes Mike Leach into its Hall of Fame.

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• Leach earned his place into the school’s athletic Hall in a lot of ways. For those of you who weren’t paying attention back then, we have a quick history lesson – or as we like to call it, life.

The Cougar football program’s foibles in the Paul Wulff era, winning just seven games in four years, had left the program vulnerable as the Pac-10 looked to expand. Then-athletic director Bill Moos was aware of this. Knew Washington State needed a boost, not only on the field but off. Needed to become part of national conversation again– as it was at the turn of the century.

Knew there was one coach who could make that happen just be walking up to a podium the day he was hired. And made a pilgrimage to Key West in November of 2011. He met with Leach. They walked. They shared some adult beverages. They talked about sealing wax and sailing ships and, of course, football. Struck a deal that few saw coming.

Why was it a surprise? Partly because Moos still had a football coach. That wasn’t a problem a week or so later. Wulff was fired. That was the simple part.

The hard part? Leach had a double-sword reputation, built during his 10 years as Tech’s head coach. His teams were successful, a rare thing in Lubbock, but it came with some baggage. Unfair baggage, sure, but still hooked to Leach’s wrist.

He had been fired in 2009, after an unfounded complaint concerning a player and, most importantly, some on-going acrimonious contract negotiations with the school and its administration.

Moos ignored the flotsam from Tech and made the move that, ultimately, changed WSU’s fortunes, just as the Pac-10 expanded. After an up-and-down trio of years to start, Leach’s program turned a corner. The next four years included 37 wins, the best stretch of that length the school ever had.

It also included Minshew Mania, the first and only ESPN GameDay visit, an 11-2 record in 2018 and a top-10 finish in the rankings. Leach’s presence also boosted Moos-led building spree that resulted in the revamped Martin Stadium the nation will see tonight on Fox.

It didn’t last, though. Moos, who Leach trusted implicitly, moved on to Nebraska in 2017, Pat Chun was hired to replace him and Leach, fearing a repeat of the Texas Tech acrimony, flirted with Tennessee before leaving for Mississippi State in 2020.

Before his death in 2022, Leach led the Bulldogs to back-to-back winning seasons, another not-so-common occurrence for one of the SEC’s down-and-out programs.  

The Leach legacy in Pullman wasn’t gold-plated, however. The on-field resume included a 1-7 Apple Cup record. The Cougars won just two of six bowl games. But, even in an age of bowl inflation, getting to six postseason games was an accomplishment for the school.

The off-field legacy was not perfect either, with Leach and the Cougars’ early years marred with more than the usual share of acrimony during a transition phase. Or “culture change,” as coaches like to term it. Either way, Leach often was short with anyone who questioned his methods or the missteps, made waves with non-football-related comments and generally found ways to keep the spotlight on him as often as it was on the school and the football program.

The bottom line, though? The spotlight was on. It was bright. It brought WSU college football status it would not have occupied. And didn’t before he brought his act to Pullman.

We have little doubt Leach’s presence, if he had stayed, would have helped Washington State earn a different outcome during realignment. His departure, coupled with the ill-fated Nick Rolovich hiring, did nothing but erode the school’s national image. It was mired in a low point at the worst possible time.

All that is behind us now. As the Cougars struggle to find their place in the new world of college athletics, Leach’s legacy steps forward once more tonight. His wife and family will be in Pullman to acknowledge the honor. They’ll raise the flag, be covered with applause from the (hopefully) more than 30,000 in attendance and remind a national TV audience what Leach meant to the football program. And to Washington State.

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WSU: The best way this crop of Cougar football players could honor Leach? Defeat the school he held in the most contempt. We never had a conversation with Leach that didn’t include, in some way, a dig about the school that fired him to avoid paying him the money he was owed – as he saw it. He had fond memories for his teams, sure, but not the school in Lubbock. Greg Woods gets you ready for tonight’s game on Fox with a preview, his two-minute drill and his pick. … We can pass along more from our buddy Tim Booth on Leach’s legacy, one that current coach Jake Dickert embraces. … Jon Wilner has his usual Friday mailbag in the Mercury News, with questions about WSU’s future. … Elsewhere in the (new and old) Pac-12, the Mountain West and the nation, John Canzano has some thoughts on the conference’s scheduling plans for 2025, using this weekend’s late-changed schedule as a kickoff to look at what next year could bring. … There are plenty of good games to watch today throughout the country. … Oregon State’s first road game is a chance for the Beavers to show they are ready for prime time. … San Diego State is gearing up to stop OSU’s running attack. … Washington is on upset alert today, even if visiting Eastern Michigan probably doesn’t have to firepower to pull it off. … It will be a family affair you won’t be able to watch if you have Comcast. … Which freshman will help the Huskies the most today and this season? … Oregon will be on Peacock as it tries to defeat Boise State for the first time. The Ducks will do it, according to one source. … It’s been a while since Stanford has defeated an FCS foe. Weird. But the Cardinal will get a win today when they welcome in Cal Poly, one of the Big Sky’s least-threatening programs. … California has a tougher test, facing Auburn on the road. … Colorado and Nebraska both are looking to start the season 2-0. … Utah is looking to make a statement in the Big 12. … Will the announcers be at Arizona State’s game today? … In the Mountain West, there is a conference matchup today with Air Force and San Jose State facing off in Colorado. … Utah State has today’s toughest assignment, at USC. … UNLV has its home opener against Utah Tech. … Hard work has helped one Hawaii player excel.

EWU: The Eagles are hot. So will be today’s opponent in Cheney, the Drake Bulldogs. No, we’re not referring to anger or a winning streak. We’re talking temperature, to paraphrase Alan Iverson. It may be the highest it’s ever been for an EWU home football game (4 p.m., SWX). Dan Thompson has that and more in this preview. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, a Weber State player has reclaimed his place on the field as Portland State visits. … Idaho State opens the home schedule by hosting Western Oregon. …

Idaho: The Vandals are in Laramie hoping to add to the FCS’ upset list of FBS schools this season. Peter Harriman gets you ready with this preview. … Wyoming might not have its best running back.

Preps: High school football in Washington is underway. It started last night, with Dave Nichols at Ridgeline for a key GSL game pitting the Falcons and Gonzaga Prep. The Bullpups gave new coach Nathan Graham his first victory, winning 48-21. … Central Valley opened with an easy win as well, routing visiting Mt. Spokane 33-0. Greg Lee has that story. … Dave returns with a roundup of the area’s games. There was a misspelled name in the headline and in the story as it appeared in the S-R’s e-edition that we fixed here.  

Indians: Spokane fell 14-12 at Everett on Friday. Dave has the story. … Elsewhere in the Northwest League, Eugene topped Vancouver 3-0 and Tri-City handled visiting Hillsboro 7-3.

Seahawks: Tyler Lockett is questionable for the opener against visiting Denver. But he is expected to play. His presence would help Mike Macdonald pick up his first win. … Are you ready for Sunday’s opener with Denver? You will be if you read this.

Storm: The “Big Four” have done their job most of the season. But for Seattle to have a successful postseason, it will need others to step up,

Mariners: We pointed out a mistake above. We have to point out our own from yesterday, though we’ve fixed it already. The M’s trailed Houston by 4.5 games after Thursday’s results. And they do today as well, with the Astros winning yesterday and Bryce Miller pitching Seattle to a 6-1 win at St. Louis. … Why is Jerry Dipoto coming back? Our thoughts are simple and not addressed in this analysis from Adam Jude. He does what the ownership wants. … Cut down the strike outs. Have Julio Rodriguez heat up. Boom, the M’s catch Houston. … We’ll say this about Victor Robles. He’s cocky.

Sounders: Seattle is in Columbus for an MLS matchup today.

Kraken: Time to read Seattle’s essay about what it did over the summer.  

Tennis: The male American in Sunday’s U.S. Open finals? That would be Taylor Fritz, who stopped his buddy Frances Tiafoe in five sets last night. He’ll play top-seed Jannik Sinner.

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• We may or may not be here tomorrow. Sorry for the indecision but it will be contingent on how we feel after celebrating – is that the right word? – our 50th high school reunion. Hopefully, we will feel good enough to share all the action with you. No, not Saturday’s football games or the NFL openers. At the reunion. Who knows what might happen. Old men getting older often start telling the truth. Especially if adult beverages are involved. Until later …