Mike Leach impacted the game of football at all levels.
The legendary college football coach tragically passed away Monday night after complications related to a heart condition. Leach coached for 21 years at Texas Tech, Washington State and, most recently, Mississippi State.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who was a fan of Leach as a rival player at The University of Texas, was asked by reporters if he ever crossed paths with the legendary coach, someone who he had a great deal of respect for.
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SIGN UP HERE "I never did, I think I've met him before," Shanahan said. "I met him a long time ago in Indianapolis, I just got introduced to him. But he's been so cool to watch over the years. When I was at Texas, we always went against him at Texas Tech and he beat us a number of times. I was always so jealous watching that offense, being a receiver, watching Wes Welker have like 25 targets at the end of the game. I definitely wouldn't have got that though if I was there.
"But it was just so cool to watch it, all the people that have followed him and have gone and done stuff. I was real sad to hear that this morning."
As an offensive-minded coach, Shanahan appreciated Leach's unique coaching style, which often was replicated but never to the same level of success.
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"It showed everybody that anything is possible -- at that time it looked way different than [what] anybody else did," Shanahan explained. "It was always so cool looking at his call sheet and it just being an index card, which basically is the same as writing a few things on your hand.
"But the way he did it, the way he owned it, the way it worked wherever he went, I think a lot of people tried to be like him and do things like him, but it didn't seem like everyone did it as consistently as well."
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Leach posted a 158-107 record as a coach throughout his career, winning Pac-12 and Big 12 championships along with AFCA Coach of the Year, two Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards, and a Big 12 Coach of the Year award.
More importantly, Leach had a monumental impact on his players, college football and the sport as a whole.