Fans across the state continue to pray for MSU Coach Mike Leach

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Heavy hearts throughout Mississippi as Mississippi State Head Football Coach Mike Leach continues to fight for his life.

Now, fans of Leach say they are praying he’s able to do what he does best - and make an extraordinary comeback.

”I was blown away,” said Rance Bilbo, MSU Class of 2021. “Couldn’t believe it. You know, I was at the Egg Bowl and, you know, and that was just, like, just a few days ago. And it’s just hard to believe that, you know, he’s in the hospital right now.”

Officials say Coach Leach is currently in “critical condition.”

His family joined him at the hospital earlier Monday morning. Since his admission, Bulldog fans, old colleagues, rivals, and more have taken to social media to show their support for the Pirate.

”I’ve heard from several folks. It’s not just Mississippi State fans here reaching out, but Ole Miss fans and friends who are reaching out as well,” described Rob Hill, MSU Class of 1997. “So, you know, something like this, so many people care about Coach Leach and his family and it transcends sports.”

”I’m very privileged that I was able to get at least a little glimpse of that, you know, [...] him as a football coach,” stated MSU beat reporter Steve Robertson. “But he’d call me sometimes at 11 o’clock at night and stay on the phone with you in the morning talking about how the Indians used to navigate the, you know, the mountain ridges of the Southwest. He could talk about anything.”

”We were getting word that they were going to hire Coach Leach and he was going to fly in,” Bilbo. “So we were going down to the airport and watching him get off the plane and ringing the cowbell and watching him wearing a cowbell for the first time.”

As everyone waits for an update on Coach Leach’s condition - many say regardless of what happens, his legacy will be remembered.

”He’s somebody that you want to hang out with,” said Blake Butler, MSU Class of 2011. “You never know what he’s gonna say. He does not follow the rules. And I think it’s what Mississippi State needed.”

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2022 WLBT. All rights reserved.