Everyone who knew Coach Leach has a story. Usually a funny one. Everyone who knew of him has a favorite press conference or a quote or a favorite memorable air raid moment from his career.

I’m no different. I have a couple of really funny ones, that maybe I’ll share one day, but today I think my friends need to know this one.

Christmas day 2021. We leave as a team and family and travel to Memphis for our upcoming Bowl Game at the liberty bowl.

Most of my friends know my connection to St Jude and my sweet little friend Londyn Perry, and I was so excited when her dad Justin Perry text me to tell me that St Jude was the charity partner for the Bowl and that they were going to be special guests of the Liberty Bowl president and that they were coming to sit some of the game with me.

What I didn’t know is that in passing while Justin was getting game day info from the bowl organizers he mentioned how much they love the dawgs and that they were so excited when their good friend Manda married one of Leach’s assistants, Coach Traver. That small comment, made it from there to Coach Leach upon arriving at the Bowl hotel which then led to a “somebody go find me Traver” to “Traver, I hear there’s a little girl with cancer coming to the game from St Jude and she knows you guys. Give her whatever she wants”.

Which then led to me sitting down and blubbering at his table while he and Mrs Sharon were trying to enjoy their dinner, thanking him over and over again for being so gracious to a child that meant so much to me and him asking me why I loved St Jude so much and how that all came to be. He asked about about a million questions and I was so excited and honored to answer them all because if you know anything about Leach he loves knowledge and if you know anything about me I love to talk, especially about St Jude.
Fast forward to gameday: Coach treated my girl like bulldog royalty! Pregame hugs autographs and some quality time with some of her favorite players, but the absolute best part of this story, The part that shows the truest part of his heart came after the game.

We lost the game to Texas Tech. Coach’s first match up with them since leaving there as head coach in 2009.
Everyone was sad, mad, or disappointed.

Fans. Players. Coaches, and I’m sure that included Leach. No one likes losing.

All the dawgs coaches and players headed into the locker room and as the security went to slam the doors behind them to keep unwanted fans out Leach screamed “STOP OPEN THAT DOOR and let them in!”

You see he promised Londyn she could have a hug and one last visit after the game. She didn’t care that the dawgs lost. He was still a hero and awesome to her, and she intended on cashing in on his promise. He put his disappointment and his own feelings aside to honor that promise to her. In that moment, that was more important and bigger than football and wins and losses.

Just a few short months later Londyn, passed away.
I will never forget her excitement when she got to my section and climbed in my lap.

“Manda! Coach Leach is SO niiicee! He gave me this ball and told me to come find him after the game, this is the BEST night ever!”

So Coach Leach, thank you for everything.

Thank you for bringing Chad to Mississippi with you. Without you, I would not get to be the wife to Chad and mother to Tate that I am today. Your coaching tree is so much bigger than just football, it’s my family.

Thank you for loving on Londyn when you didn’t have to. You gave her one of the best nights of her short but meaningful life.

Give her a hug for me today, and tell her I miss her sweet face.

See you both again one day.

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