When a coach leaves one program for another, the split is generally abrupt and decisive, with the coach barely giving a passing look back to the place from which he came. Add to that the fact that Mike Leach is not a man often given to outward displays of soft and fuzzy emotions, and ... well ... I don’t know how many fans were expecting a sentimental message from Leach after his arrival in Starkville as the new coach of the Mississippi St. Bulldogs.
But that’s exactly what the former Washington State Cougars coach gave us, late Thursday night.