IRVING -- Mike Leach is gone, but he's certainly not forgotten.
The former Texas Tech head coach was annually a highlight at Big 12 Media Days. Texas' Mack Brown and Oklahoma's Bob Stoops were the only coaches to attract more tape recorders and microphones.
From pirates to politics, Leach freely spoke his mind, mixing in a dry sense of humor with a mind sharp enough to earn a law degree from Pepperdine. But his true expertise was dissecting defenses with a passing attack that was second to none. Six times in his 10 seasons, the Red Raiders lead the country in passing. That led to an 84-43 record that allowed the quirky coach to be on the cover of Texas Monthly.
Baylor head football coach Art Briles laughed Monday that the media would miss Leach the most when asked about the departure of his former boss.
Yet new Red Raiders coach Tommy Tuberville needed only two sentences Tuesday to show life won't be dull at Tech just because Leach is gone.
"It's great to be back at Media Days," said the former Mississippi and Auburn coach. "I've been out for a year and I was working on you guys' side of the ball a little bit, television.
"In television they taught us to speak our mind. I forgot to get that out of my mind a few weeks ago."
Tuberville was reprimanded by the Big 12 for saying that the league won't last long if it gives Texas, Oklahoma and Texas A&M a bigger share of the revenues than the other members.
The Leach-like rip earned a round of applause from the media, and Tuberville had reporters three deep around him for an informal session, which didn't look much different than the previous years when Leach was holding court.
But make no mistake about it -- Tuberville is much, much different. Where Leach would mix in statements that had reporters scratching their heads or reaching for a dictionary, the folksy Tuberville is transparent. What you see is what you get. The Arkansas native is more like Spike Dykes, the man whom Leach replaced.
Tuberville will become bigger on the South Plains than both coaching icons if he wins championships and puts a slew of players in the NFL. Surprisingly, Leach never talked about winning championships, nor playing in the NFL, said senior quarterback Steven Sheffield.
All Tuberville does is talk about the future.
"I spent a lot of time on the road, going out and selling everything to our alumni," he said. "[Telling them] how we're going to handle their program and everything that we're going to do and how we're going to try to win and win championships. That's my goal. We can do that. Every day we talk about it."
That's much different than Leach, who never played in the Big 12 title game. And Leach often would rip the NFL, last year criticizing the San Francisco for its handling of wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who was a holdout. Although Leach tutored several record-setting quarterbacks, none were successful in the NFL.
Sheffield said several of the drills installed by Tuberville's staff are those used by NFL teams. Tuberville realizes players aspire to play at the next level. At Auburn, he coached 19 players who were selected in the NFL draft, including four first-round picks in 2004.
While at Auburn, he finished first or tied for first in the Southeastern Conference's West Division five times. His 2004 team was 13-0 and has an outside chance of being named national champion now that Southern Cal has been stripped of the title.
Tuberville, who was A&M's defensive coordinator in 1994, knows how to win. He is 110-60 and beat instate rival Alabama six straight years, which had to figure in his hiring since Leach was only 2-8 against Texas.
Big 12 coaches might be relieved they no longer have to prepare for Leach's sophisticated passing schemes, but Tuberville will be a worthy adversary.
"I know he's a heck of a coach," A&M head coach Mike Sherman said. "He's had great success at Auburn and places he's been. And I have a lot of respect for him."
Sherman, who is 10-15 in two seasons, has found the Big 12 South tough, as has Briles who is 8-16.
"I'm sure my opinion of [Tuberville] is a lot higher than his of me," joked Briles, who was running backs coach at Tech from 2000-03. "I'm struggling around, trying to have another day. So we don't want to pitch down resumes.''
There's no doubt Texas Tech fans are excited about what Tuberville is saying. The Red Raiders have set a school record for preseason ticket sales. It's going to be up to Tuberville to give them a reason to renew them.
BIG 12 MEDIA DAYS
Monday-Wednesday in Irving
Tuesday's teams: Missouri, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas Tech
Wednesday's teams: Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas
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