Mississippi State will face Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Monday as the busy Jan. 2 slate kicks off, and during the game the team will honor former coach Mike Leach’s legacy with special helmets designed in his honor. The school announced shortly before kickoff that the team would wear maroon helmets with a white pirate flag to honor Leach, who had an interest in the history of the pirate lifestyle.
Leach died Dec. 13 at the age of 61 from complications of heart disease. He had been hospitalized two days earlier after suffering from a medical condition at home.
Below, you can take a look at the helmets Bulldog players will be wearing against the Fighting Illini on Monday.
When the game began, Mississippi State was awarded the opening kick and once again honored their late coach. The Bulldogs lined up in an Air Raid formation and let the playing time go to zero in what was football’s version of a moment of silence. Illinois denied game penalty time.
Leach took the job at Mississippi State after former coach Dan Mullen left for Florida. Leach was 19-17 in three seasons leading the Bulldogs, which included a 24-22 win over rival Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl in his final game. He was 158-107 overall with stints at Texas Tech (2000-09) and Washington State (2012-19).
He was widely known as the architect of the Air Raid offense, which extended receivers and used the short passing game as a complement to the running game. He developed offense alongside Hal Mumme when the two worked together at Kentucky (1997-98). Leach was three-time National Coach of the Year and three-time Power Five Conference Coach of the Year. He won two Power Five Division titles and led his teams to 19 bowl games during his 21-year head coaching career.
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