Stefan Krajisnik | Mississippi State Athletics Insider

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Cannot be combined with other offers. See additional terms at 1peloton.com. We are pleased to welcome Stefan Krasnik, who covers Mississippi State Athletics and this football team for the Clarion Ledger, joining us now from Mississippi so we can reflect on Mike Leach and what he meant to college football. What's it like on campus right now after the loss of Coach Leach? Yeah, I'll speak for here in Starkville because that's where I'm stationed and you know it's kind of almost fitting the you know today or let's just say on Tuesday the weather was dark and gloomy and really last week I mean it was not that bad of weather. I mean it was you know in the 70s and kind of nice and it was really dark and gloomy today on campus and kind of reflected you know the feeling of most people you know throughout the state of Mississippi and as I'm sure you've seen on social media really across the nation and the college football community. I mean Mike Leach was someone who meant a lot to a lot of people all over you know the country with his various stops you know ranging from Texas to Washington State to you know most recently Mississippi State.

He's been all over the place. He's touched a lot of people and you know it was all just kind of just kind of shocking for a lot of people and almost fitting you know the weather and students were already you know off campus with finals finishing up last week so it was really quiet on campus. It was just an eerie feeling that was fitting for you know the emotions that everyone was feeling in Starkville and still is feeling. I can imagine.

Have you had a chance to get out and walk around? Yeah I was over there a few times on Tuesday you know after the news broke and you know people were coming throughout the day and laying flowers you know there was people that were you know tearful when they were putting flowers outside the stadium and Mississippi State did a really nice job of setting that up. Putting tables you know kind of in a corner of the stadium where it's open a bit where you can see the field and you can kind of see directly you know the video board that hovers over the field and you know that you know a photo of Mike Leach up there you know in loving memory. You know right in front of that there's a flagpole and they put up a pirate flag at half staff to you know honor him so it was it was an emotional scene for sure. But definitely I think one that they gave some folks you know maybe a little bit of closure just with how sudden everything has been. It seems like a lot of fans enjoyed the opportunity to kind of you know have that spot where they could meet and let their emotions out of it and really pay tribute to someone that meant a lot to them.

When was the last time that you saw him Stefan. I would say probably after the Egg Bowl we haven't really had too many media opportunities or anything like anything like that but I will say I'm originally from Indiana so I was out of town last week back home visit my family. But on Saturday night this most recent Saturday night there was a Christmas party with a lot of local media members you know we usually get together on the holidays because you know a lot of a lot of us are out of town so we like to be you know when we have the opportunity to be there but I had a lot of friends that were there. And you know some of the coaches that we cover are invited to that event if they so desire to come and no one really expected Mike Leach to show up to that event because of the recruiting stuff that was going on with was signed a coming up on December 21 and he actually wound up showing up for a little bit and from all accounts the people that were there. He was in high spirits from all accounts of you know recruits that were on campus that weekend he was his normal self you know pigeon coming to Mississippi State and talking about you know whatever it is that he feels like or felt like talking about and which is still on brand for Mike Leach and you know that's why I caught so many people off guard because just you know less than 12 hours before the news broke of you know him being airlifted to the hospital in Jackson with a medical emergency he was really just being his normal self.

Stephon Krejznyk covers Mississippi State athletics for the Clarion Ledger and he's with us here after hours on CBS Sports Radio. Really appreciate his time after these last couple of days and the loss of Mike Leach at just 61 years old and he's such a unique person not to mention a football coach and there's so many different stories that I've heard come up there's so many people who have such unique memories. So for you personally Stephon what's it been like to cover a team coached by Mike Leach?

Yeah and I got to ask that question so many times throughout the years that I've covered him here in Starkville and it really is and you know at the time it was exciting and now I look back and I even consider it a blessing. I mean he was a guy that you know people see the press conferences and the viral moments and he knew how to work those he knew how to answer questions in a way that he wasn't really answering questions he knew how to go on. You know these long rants where he probably lost our attention about you know two minutes into the 10 minute rant or something like that he knew how to work he was he was very media savvy he was smart he you know has a lot of green for Pepperdine you know if it wasn't you know if he wasn't going into football I'm sure he would probably be a world class lawyer or something along those lines I mean he's a smart guy and it was always really cool to just I always love when the press conference ended and he would walk off the podium and you know he would always stop and have some random conversation with us.

You know on his on his way out I mean he went on a rant about whether turkey sandwiches were better than ham sandwiches one time because it was what we had for the media spread that day that they gave us. You know we talked about you know his time at Texas Tech and he didn't really recruit Patrick Mahomes just because you know he got fired from tech in 2009 so he didn't really recruit Patrick Mahomes but he knew that Patrick Mahomes was this kind of standout baseball player and he kind of heard from people that he knew that that state at Texas Tech about how he was making his way up through the ranks and how Texas Tech was you know pumped to get him to potentially play football and you know now we see what Patrick Mahomes his career has turned into I mean there's just so many you could talk to him about anything and have a conversation for hours and that's just what made it so fascinating what made him so cool to cover is you knew that he was always going to give you the time if you wanted it and was always going to you know be willing to not just have a conversation with you but but ask you by yourself I mean there's times where I've had conversations with him and you know he's dove into my family background and talked about my family and I'm like I'm supposed to be interviewing you how did you put this on me how did you do this I mean he was just so curious and so interesting and it was really really fun and really a blessing to cover. I can imagine his football players are in shock and and this is something almost unimaginable, especially when you're in college and you think people are invincible and maybe you live forever. How did he relate to the kids that he coached how did they perceive him? Yeah, I think he was really relatable I think you know people maybe saw that he was you know 61 years old and maybe wasn't able to relate to young players but but I think he really did I mean you see the outpouring of support I mean there's so much of them are so many of those players are in shock but at the same time you know they're tweeting you know how much love they have for it's really been an emotional time for those players but you know I talked to a former Mississippi State coach and a former A&M coach as well and Jack Sherrill and he talked he's close friends with Leach and they are you know they've there's a coaching fraternity and all those guys you know and those two guys were really tight and he talked about how you know Leach he held his players accountable and everyone you know is probably being Leach you know whether it be go off on a player on the sidelines or fold the folding chairs away so his wide receivers can't sit anymore because they're not focusing on the game. He had a way of holding him accountable but but Jackie Sherrill said he did in a way that you know it was kind of like a parent he truly you know cared about those players and one of the best for them whether it was you know pursuing a football career or not you know he set them up for success and you look at his coaching tree and whether it be former players or coaches that he's had in the past that you guys like Josh Heiple and Sonny Dykes and you know Cliff Kingsbury and Lincoln Riley that have gone on to have success he really you know he was able to relate to players and was interesting and and found ways to be interested in and whatever they were interested in if there was something new you know I'm sure if he stuck around and was there to coach you know football in 15 years from now I'm sure he'd be all in on having some conversation about crypto or NFTs or whatever maybe I mean he's a guy that you know nothing nothing was too new for him he would be willing to learn about it and he was he was able to really play as well and I think that's what you know part of what makes it so tough for them now.

What about on the field? What made him successful as a coach? I think what made him successful is he trusted you know what what he did he trusted that the air raid was going to work because he studied it and perfected it so much over the years and you know there's been a lot of times where I'm sure most Mississippi State fans and you know I'll be I'll be quick to admit that probably maybe some of us Mississippi State reporters too were thinking to ourselves hey why not run the damn ball a little bit more Mike it seems to work sometimes instead of you know the 50-60 passes a game but I think he trusted that that what they did in practice and what he's learned over the years and really implemented and what he does is is going to work and and I think that's part of what made it so successful is because he trusted himself and his staff to make the right calls and he trusted his players to execute in key moments I mean you think back to some of those big wins that he had at Texas Tech top ranked A&M and top ranked Texas teams that were just monumental wins for Texas Tech they come down to the final plays and it's a lot of times you know him going to Michael Crabtree and trusting Michael Crabtree to make a play so I think that he just he believed in his players and in himself and his staff maybe more than others and really did a good did a good job of tuning out that outside noise to make himself someone that was successful in this industry and it's a tough industry to be successful in. What is the plan for the bowl game for Mississippi State? Mississippi State's planning on playing. They've announced that and there's no doubt that the players want to play for Mike Leach and you know I've seen quotes out there from sources and things of that nature that said that Mississippi State players want to play because it's what Leach would want them to do. They want to continue practicing how they normally would. The defensive coordinator Zach Garnett is kind of the interim coach for the time being but the way that you know Mississippi State functions you know even when Leach was still here and coach and the assistants were very involved so it should be a pretty smooth transition at least for the short term for Mississippi State and you know some of the people in the athletic department have put out there already that they're trying to find ways of how they're going to honor Leach in the Rollei Quest Bowl whether it be you know custom jerseys.

Some people are already tweeting you know custom helmets with the pirate logo on them and whatnot. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of tributes to Mike Leach in that game but I think the most touching tribute and probably the most important one is that Mississippi State plans on playing because it's what you would want them to do. Knowing what you know of this team, how much of a challenge do you think it will be for these players? I think it will be a tough challenge. It's not easy you know whether it be emotionally, physically, whatever it may be.

I will touch on this. You know from the game planning standpoint I think Mississippi State you know can't succeed. I think it's just going to be tough. This is a team that's gone through a lot emotionally this year. You know in the spring former Mississippi State Inside Receivers Coach Dave Nicollet actually just left to go to USC with Lincoln Riley when Lincoln took that job and ended up passing away not too long after he left. And then you know during the season right before Mississippi State played Alabama they had a freshman walk on the stand Westmoreland you know take his own life so this is a Mississippi State roster that a bunch of young men have gone through a lot you know emotionally this year. And this is just another layer to it and a huge layer to it losing head coach so I'm interested to see you know how the emotions you know weigh on this team and I think there's no doubt that if the players said they don't want to play or if the players come out and play poorly.

With the emotions of the past couple days and what will be a tough couple weeks for them I don't think anyone will blame them. You know Leach has so much trust in his staff and they're so involved from receivers coaches to running back coaches to whatever it may be quality control coaches. You know some of his best coaching tree products have been you know offensive analysts or offensive you know quality control guys. I think he has a lot of trust in the guys that he hired here and and I think Mississippi State you know should be in a good place to compete with Illinois in that game. Stevon Krajnic is with us from the Clarion Ledger covers Mississippi State Athletics and Mike Leach who passed away Monday night Tuesday morning after what was a very short stint in the hospital but a lot of tributes a lot of support over the past 48 hours for this well-known coach two-time coach of the year.

But really more the personality and the unique way that he viewed life and so we appreciate you sharing some of your insights. I know a lot of times when I think about my job and sports radio and talking about events and and headlines that that are big in the sports world. They tend to pale and and become so unimportant when we're talking about a life-or-death situation like this or like Grant Wall passing away in Qatar who is a you know well-known reporter who had covered soccer for years. For you personally what have these last couple days been like? It's been tough and and it's been emotional you know just like I'm sure a lot of people who knew Mike Leach would probably say the same thing. But you know at the same time it's been it's been really cool to see the outpouring of support for Leach and the people that knew him well. You know we when you cover someone from day to day and you see him you know every week at a press conference or you talk to him after every game and things like that. I don't want to say it ever became routine but I think you know the past couple days have really really been you know kind of a reminder of you know Mike Leach was a really special person to cover and a really special person you know on a national level. And you see just with this outpouring of support how many people really you know were intrigued with what he was going to say in a press conference what he was going to call in a game. He's really a special figure and he's a tough guy to lose just because you know as a college football fan we've all lost someone that made the sport you know a really really tough sport but also a really really cool sport to celebrate and watch.

You know from week in and week out and you just it sucks because you know moving forward whether you be a fan of a team in the Pacific Northwest or a fan of a team in Florida you know that the sport got a little more dull and the sport you love got a little more dull. 20 plus seasons Mike Leach provided something to the sport that means a lot to a lot of people. I saw a quote from SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey in which he said every conversation with Mike made you think did you often come away from your encounters with coach Leach feeling like you had a lot to think about.

Yeah, yeah it is it made me think that I got better pick up a book and start reading because this coach is going to beat me in any argument we could possibly have but also sometimes made me think of what exactly was he talking about there. No, no he was like I said earlier I mean he was so smart and and going back to my conversation with Jackie Shirley Jackie said that if you ever got into an argument with Leach you were going to lose because he was going to say something that you didn't know or you like I mean he could lie to you and you probably believe him just because he's so smart he could just probably pull out any facts that that you never knew I mean he was just he really was smart and he always gave you if you asked him something or if you brought up something you know he will walk away thinking about it too and he'd be curious. He'd be curious and maybe he would follow you up with you down the road and be like hey you know I'm still thinking about that the thing we're talking about so he really was he really Greg Sankey put it in a great way and I think Greg also said either in the tweet or in the statement of you know one statement is not enough to describe you know who Mike Leach was and that's also another really good way of putting it.

He was nicknamed the pirate because he loved pirates and I didn't know this but read about it that he had a life size statue of a singing pirate in his office when he was at Washington State. So as you say many unique wrinkles to coach Leach before I let you go Stefan is there one maybe press conference or one conversation one story that you'll remember that is stuck with you more than any other. Yeah I'll remember this and I got the opportunity last year to be part of one of those iconic late night Leach phone calls I was interviewing him for a story about Pepperdine or his time at Pepperdine Law School and you know I text him I'll say hey you know what time can we do this interview he's like I'll call you around nine and typically especially in the call me around like 1030 so I'm thinking all right let's let's do this interview real quick so we can get to bed and the conversation I'm going till about 2 a.m. or something like that. Oh my gosh it was just it was just such typical Leach fashion up and he was so interested in me and my family and obviously you know I was interested in him and you know I told him that my family's from Europe and you know he talked about all the places that he's traveled to and all the things he's done and that's the thing that I just always stick with me as you know I was a reporter fresh out of college you know covering a beat for the first time and I'm covering this coach that's you know been coaching for more than two decades you know maybe one of the most successful coaches in college football history and there we are on the phone you know in the middle of the night talking about my family it's just it's just something that sticks with you for a while whether it's someone you're covering or just someone you you run into when when someone you know shows genuine curiosity for you in a setting where you know they probably don't have to and you wouldn't be surprised if they did it just sticks with you and I think for a lot of people that have shared their stories I think Leach is just how humble he was for someone who was that successful. It really does stand out with you. I appreciate you sharing your memories of course especially after what these last couple days have been like the job that you do has changed so completely and yet it helps to be able to talk to people who knew him and I think it helps for people who want to know more about him to hear the story so saying thank you so much to fun cry Nick covers Mississippi State athletics for the clarion ledger. You can find him on Twitter at I'm going to spell it as k r a j i s n i k with the number three.

Thank you so much to find I do really appreciate your time and your insight. Yeah, of course. Thanks so much for having me on is the season for giving and what's better than giving more to everyone you love with celebrations passport from one eight hundred flowers dot com. I can enjoy unlimited free shipping on everything from flowers to gourmet gifts across their entire family of brands, which means sharing more with the special people in my life now and all throughout the year. Shop one eight hundred flowers dot com slash listen and share holiday joy today. Being Gifty my calendar can be a chaotic place three birthdays and my anniversary a whole in the next month. That's why I use celebrations passport from the one eight hundred flowers family of brands celebrations passport gives me free shipping on thousands of amazing gifts and the more gifts I give the more perks and rewards I earn.

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