Mizzou Central

Missouri To Honor Mike Leach With Special Helmet Decal in Gasparilla Bowl

The Missouri Tigers will honor the late Mike Leach with a special helmet decal vs. Wake Forest in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday.

Matt Galatzan

Missouri To Honor Mike Leach With Special Helmet Decal in Gasparilla Bowl
Missouri To Honor Mike Leach With Special Helmet Decal in Gasparilla Bowl /

Earlier this month, the college football world was devastated by the death of Mississippi State, and former Texas Tech head coach, Mike Leach, who passed away at the age of 61.

And in their own way, the Missouri Tigers intend to honor Leach and the legacy he left on the game, by wearing a special helmet decal during their Gasparilla Bowl matchup against Wake Forest on Friday.

The decal, which will be worn on the back of their helmets, reads 'MIKE' in honor of Leach, with a pirate cowbell replacing the 'I'.

Missouri head football coach Eliah Drinkwitz voiced his condolences for the Leach family on Twitter following his death, stating the impact Leach had on the college game.

"Heartbroken by the passing of Coach Leach, my prayers are for his family, and team during this time," Drinkwitz said. "A true giant in our game."

Former Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel also sent his thoughts and prayers to the Leach family and remembered Leach's enormous impact on the offensive side of college football.

"I am so saddened by the news about Coach Leach," Pinkel said in a tweet. "He had such a unique personality and I enjoyed being around him. I really admired his concepts and feel like he was one of the more influential offensive minds in all of football in the modern era. We are praying for comfort and peace for Coach Leach's family and loved ones, and everyone at Mississippi State. Rest in peace, Coach."

Leach was a pioneer on the offensive side of the football and was known for his innovations in the 'air raid' offense.

He was also the winningest coach in the history of Texas Tech Football.

Leach is survived by his wife, Sharon; children Janeen, Kim, Cody and Kiersten; and three grandchildren.

The Tigers and Demon Decons will kick off at 5:30 pm. 

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of MizzouSportsTalk.com, AllAggies.com and LonghornsCountry.com, as well as the Editor-In-Chief of InsideTheBears.com, TheGroveReport.com, RamDigest.com, AllSeahawks.com, and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com

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