Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach died Monday night after complications related to a heart condition, the school announced. He was 61.


Leach's family said, in a statement released Tuesday by the school, that Leach participated in organ donation at the University of Mississippi Medical Center 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," Leach's family said. "Thank you for sharing in the joy of our beloved husband and father's life."

Leach suffered what the university initially described in a news release as a "personal health issue" at his home in Starkville on Sunday, which required him to be airlifted to the UMMC in Jackson, about 125 miles from Mississippi State.

 

Leach, in his third season as Mississippi State's coach, had told ESPN after the regular season concluded that he struggled with pneumonia during the season but was feeling better. He was at practice Saturday before suffering his health issue on Sunday.

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

Keenum and Brett had placed defensive coordinator Zach Arnett in charge of the football program when Leach was hospitalized. The Bulldogs are set to face Illinois in the ReliaQuest Bowl on January 2.

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