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New Wazzu Coach Named
By Wes Glinsmann, Seattle Times
After two years away from football, the pirate captain is back. Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach was named the new head coach at Washington State on Wednesday.
According to CBS Sports’ Bruce Feldman, who first broke the story, Leach’s contract will be for five years and will make him the third-highest paid coach in the Pac-12 at more than $2 million per year.
Known for his personality quirks, as well as his explosive passing offenses, Leach has been the hottest name in coaching searches across the country. He spent 10 years as the head coach at Texas Tech, where he went 84-43 and led the Red Raiders to a bowl game in each of his 10 years in Lubbock. Washington State has been to just 10 bowls in the school’s history and has not been to a bowl game since 2003.
Leach was fired by Texas Tech in 2009 after allegedly mistreating a former player, Adam James, who had reportedly suffered a concussion. However, Leach denied the allegations and is still engaged in a wrongful termination lawsuit against Texas Tech, as well as a defamation suit against ESPN and a public relations firm retained by Adam James’ father, ESPN analyst Craig James.
Leach replaces Paul Wulff, who was fired the previous day. Wulff had won just nine games in four years in Pullman. His 9-40 record was the worst winning percentage of any coach in school history.
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