Mike Leach and Texas Tech will always be tied together.

Leach shot to prominence as the quirky pirate in Lubbock who did whatever he wanted and said what was on his mind, feelings be damned. Leach has a certain way with the media that he really cultivated in his time at Texas Tech, which gave him his big break and first head coaching job.

Leach's past with Texas Tech is well documented. He's synonymous with what many would call the best decade in program history. His offenses rewrote all the history books in points and passing to make it seem like a quarterback hadn't been used in Lubbock until Kliff Kingsbury took over for Spike in 1999.

Obviously, that's untrue, but if you asked any national pundit or fan born into the Leach Era "what is Texas Tech football known for," they'd say the air raid. That system hasn't been utilized since Leach left. Sure, Coach Kingsbury ATMO just like Leach did, but it wasn't a true air raid, and Kingsbury's personality type wasn't anywhere near the mad pirate.

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Not that Kingsbury didn't have his share of zingers; Leach is just in a class of his own.

If you haven't kept up with Leach after his Texas Tech days, you've missed some great moments from his time at Washington State, and some zoom struggles last year at Mississippi State. Personally, I like Leach's press conferences more now than I ever did when he was in Lubbock. Maybe that's just because I only see the highlights now and not the long slog that most of his answers end up being.

Speaking of highlights, after Mississippi State's 49-9 loss to Alabama, in which Leach's team didn't manage to find the endzone and just knock in field goals, coach was asked about kicking the field goals instead of getting the touchdowns.

Leach's response is classic:

Leach is especially relevant in Lubbock this week after Matt Wells was fired from his position as head coach of the Texas Tech football program.

National pundits love to comment on any coach at Texas Tech as not being as successful as Leach when they’re fired. A segment of the fanbase is also convinced that Texas Tech will never return to any sort of national prominence unless Mike Leach is paid and the so-called “pirate curse” is lifted.

I don't know about any curses, but I do know Mike Leach is never coming back to Lubbock, and Texas Tech isn't going to pay Mike Leach any money. So, if there really is a curse, let's all start brainstorming other ways to break it.

18 Guys Who Could Coach Texas Tech Football in 2022

This list is by no means complete, it's just some names I've seen circulating on social media and message boards. Along with the usual suspects, I've added some wild cards to make it a little spicier.

This is a list I've come up with, but the first several names on this list have definitely been contacted and could be potential hires.

Highlights: Texas Tech vs Kansas State (October 23rd, 2021)

See some great shots from Jones AT&T Stadium at the Texas Tech Red Raiders-Kansas State Wildcats game.

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