Throwback To The Late, Great Mike Leach Describing His Ideal Thanksgiving Plate

Simply put, Mike Leach was a national treasure.

It’s almost hard to believe that the world lost the legendary football coach back in 2022 at the age of 61. Ever since he passed away, a zany, unique voice of reason has been missing from the world of college football. Thankfully, he left behind a ton of words of wisdom (like how candy corn sucks) that we can always look back on, laugh about, and live by.

I really appreciate that his post game interviews or memorable press conference moments still get shared online. And this one popped up just in time for Thanksgiving. After a game that Mike Leach won while he was coaching at Mississippi State, the walking, talking viral quote machine was asked about his ideal Thanksgiving plate, and what he was best at cooking for the meal.

Leach said that despite not being much of a cook, he had mastered one of the staples of the Thanksgiving table:

“I always make the gravy, and I do make great gravy. I’m not a big cook guy, and haven’t (ever) been. But I’ve made the gravy for decades.”

It just makes too much sense that Mike Leach was a skilled gravy chef (and only that).

Following that gravy anecdote, the coach took some time to gather his thoughts, and then launched into what his perfect Thanksgiving plate looked like… and gave his hot take on cranberry sauce:

“Let’s see, I always get white meat. A little stuffing, not too much. Lots of mashed potatoes. Gravy over everything. Hopefully they have greens… they generally don’t. Corn or green beans. Never sweet potatoes. And I like fruit pies better than any of that pumpkin or apple stuff. (I like cranberry sauce), but just a quick little droplet of it. I’m not gonna get carried away with that either.”

Legendary stuff right there. Correct me if I’m wrong, but he’s the only coach that was both a) really good at what he did and b) was never really asked about the X’s and O’s. That’s because he had so many other interesting tidbits and opinions to deliver outside of the game of football, like that one above about his perfect Thanksgiving plate (and how good he was at making the gravy).

Leach had a way with words, and I’m really sad that we never got to see him graduate from coaching football to commentating on the sport. He would have been an absolute natural in the booth or at the analyst table. All that being said, I’m still thankful for the time that the world got to experience the uniqueness of Mike Leach.

And hey… I just realized that I haven’t wished you (the reader) a Happy Thanksgiving! If you ask me, Turkey Day is the best holiday of them all. Presents? Not necessary? Decorating? Optional. Food out the wazoo? You bet. Football on all day long? Yes please. Simply put, there’s nothing better than Thanksgiving… and I truly hope that you are able to experience Mike Leach-level gravy at your meal today.

RIP Mike Leach.The post Throwback To The Late, Great Mike Leach Describing His Ideal Thanksgiving Plate first appeared on Whiskey Riff.