TAMPA, Fla. — The ReliaQuest Bowl kicked off at Raymond James Stadium on Monday with tributes to late Mississippi State coach Mike Leach everywhere.
Starting with the scoreboard: a 19-10 Bulldogs win thanks to a last-second field goal and a lateral taken 60 yards for a touchdown on the final play.
The No. 24 Bulldogs lined up without anyone behind the center for their first snap and took a delay of game penalty in memory of Leach, the college football treasure who died last month at age 61. Illinois, of course, declined the penalty.
Mississippi State’s marching band honored Leach, the part-time Key West resident, in fitting fashion. They spelled “LEACH” across the field and played the theme song from “Pirates of the Caribbean” to honor Leach’s love of pirates. That was followed by a moment of silence.
The Bulldogs also replaced their usual logos to add a pirate flag and Leach’s initials on their helmets.
The turf included the word “MIKE” in maroon and white, with the “I” replaced by one of Mississippi State’s traditional cowbells. That logo adorned a flag the Bulldogs carried onto the field.
A portrait of Leach overlooked the field on the deck of the stadium’s iconic pirate ship by the north end zone. Bulldogs fans lined up before the game to take pictures in front of the ship.
One of them was Josh Wise, a 42-year-old Tupelo resident and lifelong Mississippi State fan. He posed with a pirate flag that said “Swing your Sword” and “Team Leach” on it — a flag he bought the day the Bulldogs hired him three years ago. What would Leach’s message have been today?
‘I think he would have said, “Bulldog fans, party like pirates in Tampa,’” Wise said, “‘and do it for me.’”
Gareth Chabot, 47, wore a pirate costume in honor of Leach when Leach coached at Washington State. When the coach left for the Bulldogs three years ago, Chabot put his outfit in the attic. He brought it back Monday after flying across the country from Yelm, Washington to pay his respects.
“I felt like I had to be here,” Chabot said.
