Sports Online
Sports Media Pays Tribute To Mike Leach
“This is just a small list of the tributes and memories that poured in on Twitter. To put together a full list would take more bandwidth than we have here at BSM.”

Published
3 months agoon
By
BSM Staff
Mike Leach has passed away. He was 61 years old.
The Mississippi State football coach is the first active SEC coach to die since 1980 when Bo Raine was killed in a plane crash while recruiting for LSU.
While Leach could be the source of controversy at times, what most in the sports media remembered and loved about him was his irreverent personality.
He was a favorite interview subject of many that covered the sport and they paid tribute to the man on social media following his death.
"[Mike Leach was] the smartest coach I've ever been around. … He's one of the truly irreplaceable figures in the history of the game. Records are one thing … but the legacy that one leaves behind is what I heard from his many friends and coaching colleagues."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) December 13, 2022
—@finebaum pic.twitter.com/JwIamgWCnW
Mike Leach was 1 of 1. Quirky personality with an unbelievable football mind. Look no further than Heisman trophy. 1-2 and 5 finishers coaches either played for or coached under Leach. Praying for his family & friends. Gonna be hard to replace that space in their hearts.
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) December 13, 2022
Mike Leach had a law degree but never practiced law.
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) December 13, 2022
He had strong opinions about shrunken heads, ancient military tactics and cargo shorts.
He also changed the way nearly everyone at every level of football plays offense.
Goodbye to one of one.https://t.co/mTT6JlCSF2 pic.twitter.com/0NEyEALsaw
Our broadcasting team had the privilege of calling the last game of Coach Mike Leach’s distinguished career. The spirit and character his team played with that night embodied what I came to think of him as a coach and leader. My condolences to all who loved him. RIP coach. 🙏🏾
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) December 13, 2022
Mississippi State just announced that Mike Leach has passed away. His impact on football was— and will continue to be—truly remarkable….
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 13, 2022
Thank you Mike ❤️ pic.twitter.com/atY9eELO6P
RIP Mike Leach 🙏🏼
— Jesse James Palmer (@JessePalmerTV) December 13, 2022
Truly nobody like him on the sidelines or off the field.
Great memories laughing with him in meeting rooms, and trying to keep up on the scoreboard when we played against his high powered @UKFootball offense in ‘98 🏈
You will be missed. #RIP
RIP to Mike Leach. College football innovator and one of the great personalities in sports.
— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) December 13, 2022
Mike Leach invited me to his house in Key West. It was not a big deal. He pretty much invited everyone he met down there.
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) December 13, 2022
I never went. I regret that.
Mike Leach was a really interesting person who was really interested in other people.
That's a good way to be.
RIP
An incredibly sad and somber day for college football. Thinking of and praying for everyone who knew and loved Mike Leach.
— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) December 13, 2022
Now at @SatDownSouth:
— Matt Hayes (@MattHayesCFB) December 13, 2022
Mike Leach, the beautiful mind whose life was full and free of norms. (He was also a helluva football coach). https://t.co/ByzOIFs18T
RIP Mike Leach all time football guy pic.twitter.com/9xFiaLbQXX
— Pardon My Take (@PardonMyTake) December 13, 2022
The best part about a Mike Leach meeting was going off topic as soon as possible. There was no one more endearing than Mike Leach on a tangent.
— Anish Shroff (@AnishESPN) December 13, 2022
RIP Mike Leach, a true original and one of the greatest characters and coaches of an entire generation. Thoughts are with his loved ones right now. https://t.co/Qit8oe3QMd
— Matt Fortuna (@Matt_Fortuna) December 13, 2022
RIP Coach Mike Leach. Damn…
— Landry Locker (@LandryLocker) December 13, 2022
Mike Leach, one of college football’s most distinctive personalities & innovative offensive minds, died Monday night, his family announced through university spokesman @sidsalter.
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 13, 2022
He was 61.
Mike Leach was 1-of-1. He was one of the best characters in sports and was an innovator that helped change football. In a world where coaches are corporate and mostly the same, he stood out because he was genuinely himself.
— Brandon Walker (@BFW) December 13, 2022
This is a terrible day for college football.
There were few personalities in sports quite like Mike Leach, a breath of fresh air for sure.
— steakshapiro (@steakshapiro) December 13, 2022
RIP Coach.
Rest In Peace, my friend! We love you! #MikeLeach pic.twitter.com/QhKeuzaeIr
— Chris Childers (@ChildersRadio) December 13, 2022
This is a hard one for college football and especially hard for those of us who had a chance to get to know one of the most unique characters and brilliant minds the sport has ever known. Here is our news story on Mike Leach’s passing. He was 61. https://t.co/DgbgRuMR84
— Chris Low (@ClowESPN) December 13, 2022
We take for granted the spread offense in college football these days. 25 years ago NO ONE was running it before Mike Leach got it going at Texas Tech. Changed the entire sport.
— Mintzy (@BarstoolMintzy) December 13, 2022
Blessed to have experienced Mike Leach. Truly one of a kind – still feels surreal. https://t.co/CFPuKOybO6
— Josh Pate (@LateKickJosh) December 13, 2022
The world and college football are a better place because of Mike Leach. We lost a legend and I’m going to miss my friend very much. I cannot believe this has happened. Devastating. I will cherish the many talks and laughs. He will be dearly missed. God Bless Mike’s family 🙏🙏🙏
— Sean Salisbury (@SeanUnfiltered) December 13, 2022
Here’s how you know someone made an inedible impression in their life. EVERYONE has at least one Mike Leach story. And each them starts and ends with a laugh and a smile. 🙏🏼🏈
— Matt Barrie (@MattBarrie) December 13, 2022
Mike Leach was an absolute treasure. Not just because of his clever one liners and legendary press conferences, but also because he made every single person around him feel important.
— Kayce Smith (@KayceSmith) December 13, 2022
Today is a sad day for college football. Prayers for his family and friends.
Mike Leach invited me down to his Key West home before his first year at Washington State. A walking tour that lasted 8 hours, 5 miles and a few adult beverages later I got to my hotel room and asked myself, "What just happened?" I will always remember The Pirate.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) December 13, 2022
As unique as you could be was Mike Leach. Football was more fun because of him. RIP https://t.co/UeUvXUDTYN
— Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) December 13, 2022
This is just a small list of the tributes and memories that poured in on Twitter. To put together a full list would take more bandwidth than we have here at BSM.
Credited as one of the creators of the Air Raid offense, Mike Leach revolutionized the game while serving as offensive coordinator at Kentucky under Hal Mummy. He eventually became the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders, a role he held from 2000 until 2009 when he was fired amid accusations of mistreating a player that had suffered a concussion. After three seasons away from the sidelines, he became the head coach at Washington State in 2012. He left Pullman for Starkville in 2020.
During his career, Leach amassed a 158-107 record. He lead his teams to bowl games in 18 bowl games in his 21 seasons as a head coach.
Mike Leach is survived by his wife Sharon and four children: Janeen, Kimberly, Cody and Kiersten.
Sports Online
Dan Le Batard: ‘Does Sports Media Care if Interviews Are Done Well?’
“An exclusive interview with Ja Morant, who hasn’t talked to anybody after his controversy, is going to get eyeballs, so it doesn’t matter how good it actually is.”

Published
5 hours agoon
March 17, 2023By
BSM Staff
Mike Greenberg had praise for Jalen Rose this week. He said that no one but his ESPN colleague could have handled the interview with Ja Morant that has been airing on the network. Dan Le Batard has the exact opposite opinion of what he saw.
“What I saw was soft and didn’t seem to serve anybody except ESPN,” Le Batard said on his Thursday show. “This seems to be a lot of people around the economy of basketball and Ja Morant orchestrating an interview so Ja Morant can move onto the next stage of his branding.”
Whereas Greenberg thought the shared experience of an NBA career made Rose more likely to get answers from Morant, Le Batard said it created a problem. He accused Rose of letting Morant get away with using “talking points” in lieu of answering any actual questions about the string of erratic behavior and disturbing incidents the Memphis Grizzlies star has been involved with.
It wasn’t the only interview that Dan Le Batard pointed to. He noted that Pat McAfee’s interview with Aaron Rodgers may have drawn an audience of nearly half a million, but very little substance was offered.
“Does anybody in the audience, in sports fandom, or even, at this point, in sports media companies, care in a real and legitimate way whether the interview is done well or not?”
He added that the standard has changed for these interviews because the goal has changed. They are no longer about journalism as much as they are about branding, particularly in the case of ESPN’s exclusive interview with Ja Morant.
“An exclusive interview with Ja Morant, who hasn’t talked to anybody after his controversy, is going to get eyeballs, so it doesn’t matter how good it actually is,” Le Batard concluded. “All you need, if you’re the media partner, is please get me the famous guy to sit down.”
Sports Online
Jomboy, Aaron Boone Partner For Weekly Podcast Appearance
“I thought it was a really interesting opportunity, and a cool idea. These guys have been innovators in this business and they’ve built a massive, young following.”

Published
1 day agoon
March 16, 2023By
BSM Staff
It isn’t unusual for a professional sports team to partner with a local radio station for weekly interviews with team personnel. Even though Jomboy Media is a digital outlet, it didn’t stop the company from inking a deal to have Yankees manager Aaron Boone on one of its signature podcasts.
In a move announced Thursday, Jomboy Media has signed a deal for Boone to appear on its popular Talkin’ Yanks podcast — hosted by founder Jimmy O’Brien and Jake Storiale — once a week throughout the baseball season.
“I thought it was a really interesting opportunity, and a cool idea. These guys have been innovators in this business and they’ve built a massive, young following,” Boone told The New York Post. “I think Jimmy and Jake are both really good guys. And they’re passionate about what they do, and they love the Yankees. And, sometimes they’re a little misguided and it’s my chance to set the record straight every now and then.”
Previously, Boone had a weekly spot on 98.7 ESPN New York’s The Michael Kay Show, which reportedly paid him six figures.
“It’s going to be really fun and it kind of goes with the changing landscape of media,” O’Brien said. “The fact that two fans can create a show and in five years get to the point where they get to ask questions to the manager of the Yankees and bring whatever insight we can get out of that to our audience — it is pretty wild, a little surreal.”
Sports Online
Sports Media Reacts to Aaron Rodgers Telling Adam Schefter ‘Lose My Number’
“Here are some of the best responses from Schefter’s sports media colleagues to the tweet.”

Published
2 days agoon
March 16, 2023
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers appeared on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday and revealed that if he gets his way, his time with the Green Bay Packers is done. He intends to play for the New York Jets in 2023.
Rodgers told McAfee that the hang-up lies with Green Bay, which is trying to determine the appropriate compensation for trading for a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Rodgers also revealed that he had an interaction with ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. Schefter, who was obviously digging as much as he could to get the scoop on what was going on with Rodgers’ future, texted Rodgers trying to confirm the information he had.
“I didn’t respond to Dianna Russini I think her name is,” Rodgers said. “But I would say the same thing that I told Schefty. Lose my number. Nice try.”
Upon hearing Rodgers’ account, Schefter followed up with a screenshot of Rodgers responding exactly how he said, and that sent social media into a whirlwind.
Here are some of the best responses from Schefter’s sports media colleagues to the tweet:
the fact that Schefty only had 4 unread texts is blowing my mind. I figured he was minimum triple digits at all times. https://t.co/tutaLHPYpW
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) March 15, 2023
sounds like me after a first date 😂 https://t.co/ld527eINRt
— Ashley Nicole Moss (@AshNicoleMoss) March 15, 2023
Full power on Low Power mode is peak insider @StevenCheah https://t.co/yyePxUyo3w
— Nick Mangold (@nickmangold) March 15, 2023
I was waiting for this screenshot 😂😂😂
— Kevin Negandhi (@KevinNegandhi) March 15, 2023
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) March 15, 2023
Schefter not having Dark Mode on his phone is a fascinating new character in this story https://t.co/LgseuVe7a6
— RJ Choppy (@rjchoppy) March 15, 2023
— Bussin' With The Boys (@BussinWTB) March 15, 2023
Aaron Rodgers just buried Adam Schefter 💀 https://t.co/U8YkRs3r3h pic.twitter.com/2EPSInnJgH
— OutKick (@Outkick) March 15, 2023
you're like family to him
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) March 15, 2023
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) March 15, 2023
The full charge low power combo is https://t.co/hQeZ6Fu4T7 pic.twitter.com/hcQiFC0MXa
— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) March 15, 2023
Adam Schefter right Now pic.twitter.com/H539E6PSB3 https://t.co/8HDzaRCaMm
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) March 15, 2023

Jordan Bondurant is a features reporter for Barrett Sports Media. He’s a multimedia journalist and communicator who works at the Virginia State Corporation Commission in Richmond. Jordan also contributes occasional coverage of the Washington Capitals for the blog NoVa Caps. His prior media experiences include working for the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Danville Register & Bee, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, WRIC-TV 8News and Audacy Richmond. He can be reached by email at bondurantmedia@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @J__Bondurant.
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