Texas Texas University is set to induct the late Mike Leach into the school’s Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor this weekend. And yet, the Red Raiders still owe him money.
Mike Leach, who passed away in December, coached college football in Lubbock from 2000 through 2009. He won 84 games over 10 seasons, including an 11-win year in 2008.
Toward the end of his tenure with Texas Tech, Leach was accused of ordering Adam James, the son of Craig James, to stand in an equipment room while recovering from a concussion. His attorney, Ted Ligget, disputed the characterization of events.
And yet, on December 30, Leach was fired.
The Red Raiders called his refusal to apologize to James “a defiant act of insubordination.” They cut him loose one day before Leach was owed an $800,000 tenure bonus and more than $1.7 million for contractual guaranteed income for 2009.
Leach and his attorney ultimately sued Texas Tech for wrongful termination and claimed that he was owed $2.5 million from his contract. Texas’ sovereign immunity stature, which protects the state’s public institutions from liability in most tort claims, saw the lawsuit dismissed.
A messy, litigious situation has played out in the years since and continues today, even after Leach’s death. The late coach, as recently as 2021, said that he planned to battle Texas Tech in court “forever” because they “still owed him money for 2009.”
Why not? I mean, what do I got to lose? I don’t have anything to lose. I mean, they cheated me out of $2.6 million, plus four years remaining on my contract.
— Mike Leach in 2021
Although Leach has since left this earth, the costly legal battle continues without him. Sharon Leach, Mike’s widow, will decide if she wants to continue footing the mounting legal bills in an increasingly complicated public-records lawsuit. The family, as of December, planned to keep fighting for the money that their late patriarch was owed.
Texas Tech will honor Mike Leach.
Leach, though no longer with us, contended that he was owed $2.5 million until his death. His family continues to push for the money that he, now they, deserve.
Meanwhile, the Red Raiders are inducting Leach into their Hall of Fame and Hall of Honor. They will also honor him with their uniforms.
Players will wear a skull and cross bones on their cleats for the game. Helmets will feature a pirate flag.
Antonio Huffman, the Associate Athletics Director for football administration at Texas Tech, served as the Director of Football Operations at Washington State under Leach. He modeled the uniform for this weekend.
Honoring Leach on his Hall of Fame weekend is a cool move. Getting Huffman involved is special.
However, honoring Leach on his Hall of Fame weekend without paying him and his family takes away from the gesture. Texas Tech still owes him money.