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On Tuesday, the college football world came together to mourn the passing of Mike Leach. Prior to his death, the legendary head coach had deployed his signature Air Raid offense to great effect at Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State, but he left behind a legacy that transcends his achievements on the gridiron.
Leach touched the lives of countless people during his 61 years on the planet, and many of the athletes, reporters, and fans who were lucky enough to cross paths with him at some point reacted to the news by sharing a number of memories that reflected the colorful personality the eccentric coach constantly showcased over the course of his career.
After Leach was hospitalized, Steve Robertson of 247 Sports penned a fantastic column filled to the brim with some incredible anecdotes about a man who—as he succinctly stated—knew “a little about a lot.” Leach was best known for being a football coach, but he was also a student of life and a sponge for knowledge concerning basically every subject under the sun.
That reality was highlighted in an amazing story that was shared by Blake Lawrence, who played linebacker for the University of Nebraska from 2007 to 2009. While he ultimately committed to the Cornhuskers, the linebacker had plenty of suitors coming out of high school—including Leach, who did what he could to lure him to Texas Tech.
Lawrence recounted his first in-person encounter with Leach in a Twitter thread where he detailed what went down when he met with the coach of the Red Raiders during an official visit to Lubbock in 2006. Things got off to a somewhat unconventional start, but his first moments with Leach had nothing on what would soon transpire.
As I approached the desk, Coach Leach didn’t stand. He didn’t even speak.
He gestured to the open seat in front of his desk.
I took my seat.
Silence.
“…uhhh hey coach”
Quiet.
“so… you ride your bike?”
(I said while pointing to the bike hanging from the ceiling)4/12
— Blake Lawrence 🚪 (@Blake_Lawrence) December 13, 2022
Following that slightly awkward introduction, Lawrence said Leach hit him with a fairly unconventional offer by issuing a challenge in the form of a magic trick the coach jokingly stated would determine whether or not the linebacker would ultimately take his talents to Texas Tech.
“Ride my bike?!”
Leach replied, looking confused.“…there’s a bike on your ceiling”
I said.Leach slowly tilted his head back, squinting at the object hanging 2 feet from his head.
“Oh-that? Nope, don’t ride it. I just think it looks cool…
…want to see a magic trick?”5/12
— Blake Lawrence 🚪 (@Blake_Lawrence) December 13, 2022
“Okay, deal.”
I accepted the challenge and awaited instructions as Leach shuffled a deck of cards.
“You say ‘red’ and I put a card in THIS pile,” he pointed to an open spot on his desk “you say ‘black’ I put a card in THIS pile.”
“Red” I said.
He placed the first card.
7/12
— Blake Lawrence 🚪 (@Blake_Lawrence) December 13, 2022
Leach flipped over the first pile.
All the cards were red.
Whoa.He flipped over the second pile.
All the cards were black.
My jaw dropped.How in the world?
How did he do that?I looked up.
We locked eyes.Leach said with confidence:
“Ready to be a Red Raider?”9/12
— Blake Lawrence 🚪 (@Blake_Lawrence) December 13, 2022
That interaction kicked off a visit where Lawrence said he and Leach “spent more time talking about life (and KC BBQ) than about football.”
While the coach was unable to land the recruit, he was gracious in defeat (he reached out to congratulate Lawrence after he signed with Nebraska) and obviously left a mark on a player who summed up his essence by saying, “Mike Leach was a magician. He brought magic to our world.”
Well put.