Cowboys Mourn Coach Mike Leach: Dak Prescott - ‘Rest Easy, Pirate'

“Thank you for your impact on the lives you coaches and our university,” Mississippi State product Dak wrote on social media in memory of Mike Leach. “Rest easy, pirate.”

FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott is joining the football world in paying tribute to the late coach Mike Leach’s time at his alma mater.

“Thank you for your impact on the lives of your coaches and our university,” Mississippi State product Dak wrote on social media. “Rest easy, pirate.”

Leach, the former Texas Tech Red Raiders football coach, passed away Tuesday at the age of 61.

A statement from Mississippi State, where he was most recently employed:

Mississippi State University Head Football Coach Michael Charles "Mike" Leach passed away last night (Monday, Dec. 12) at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, following complications from a heart condition. He was 61.

In a statement, the Leach family said: "Mike was a giving and attentive husband, father, and grandfather. He was able to participate in organ donation at UMMC as a final act of charity. We are supported and uplifted by the outpouring of love and prayers from family, friends, Mississippi State University, the hospital staff, and football fans around the world. Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father's life."

The Bulldogs coach was transported to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson on Sunday after experiencing a "personal health issue.”

As the Bulldogs prepare for the ReliaQuest Bowl, MSU defensive coordinator Zach Arnett has been named interim coach.

Leach was the architect of the "Air Raid" offense, a scheme that has set numerous college football offensive records. 

Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, who played at Tech after Leach’s tenure, wrote on Twitter, “Prayers to the Leach family!  True legend of the game!”

The Leach coaching tree is recognizable to anyone who follows college football, including USC coach Lincoln Riley, former Red Raiders and current Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury, and Houston coach Dana Holgorsen.

And in a sense, his impact now obviously extends even to Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys and to Mahomes of the Chiefs.

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