WSU Football: Mike Leach’s Path to Coaching and Thoughts on the Secondary
Mike Leach sat down with Pac 12 Network’s Mike Yam, Nick Alioti, and Curtis Conway for Media Day yesterday – but he wasn’t just there to talk football.
Mike Leach talked about everything from his book Geronimo leadership strategies of an American warrior to his experiences in law school. He also shed light on his path from law to coaching.
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Starting at age 15, Leach coached Little League baseball where he got the “coaching bug”. He took a break from law school to get coaching out of his system, but he never went back.
Leach said in his book he keeps focused on what greatness is and how to stay focused on it.
"“Everybody can work harder than they think they can. Everybody’s a little better than they think they are. Everybody can survive more than they think they can, and everybody is capable of more,” Leach said."
When asked if Washington State’s team is ready to compete with teams like Stanford and Oregon, Leach said “yes” but there is one element of the game that isn’t there yet.
"“Our last two years we’ve been a team that’s explosive but inconsistent. We need to be a team that’s consistent. Some of that is going to come with age.”"
Oregon Athletic Director, Nick Alioti, told Leach “you’re a pain in the butt to stop” going on to say Leach has a great system with the Cougars.
Leach seems focused on the progress of this team, especially the secondary, saying they’re “quicker and more athletic, but less experienced”.
It was great seeing a more personal side of Leach and learning about how he became WSU’s head football coach. Since he was named coach in 2011, the team has made it to their first bowl game in a decade. From what Leach says, the team is continuing to progress and move in that direction.
See the full interview here.
The Cougars kick off their season against Rutgers August 28th, in Seattle.