‘Swing your sword‘: MSU trailer honors legacy of Coach Mike Leach

‘Swing your sword‘: MSU trailer honors legacy of Coach Mike Leach
‘Swing your sword‘: MSU trailer honors legacy of Coach Mike Leach(MSU)
Published: Dec. 22, 2022 at 2:39 PM CST
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JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Mississippi State will have another way to honor their late head football coach Mike Leach as they head to their bowl game in Florida.

KLLM Transport Services teamed up with The Decal Guys of Jackson to honor Coach Mike Leach by providing a special wrap of MSU’s equipment truck.

KLLM sponsors the equipment truck for Mississippi State each year, along with the trucks for Ole Miss, Southern Miss, and Jackson State.

“It’s just a way that we can in a small way honor his life and honor the people from Mississippi State University as they are going to a bowl game this year, unfortunately without their head coach,” said KLLM President and CEO, Jim Richards.

Both sides of the truck feature the words Swing Your Sword in big, bold letters next to an image of Leach, wearing a university cap, tee, and headset.

The three-word mantra emerged in the wake of a 2003 loss at Missouri, according to Mike Leach’s autobiography, Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life.

Leach was in his third head-coaching stint, with a 19-17 record for the Bulldogs when he died after complications related to a heart condition.

Four of the nine highest single-season passing yardage totals in FBS history and seven of the top 26 came under quarterbacks coached by Leach, according to ESPN.

This is a snapshot of the legacy behind the words and images on the university’s new equipment truck.

On the left-hand side of Leach is a Jolly Roger pirate flag, a symbol of Leach’s fearless coaching style and well-known personality. In addition to his love for pirates, the moniker, “The Pirate” was how many people referred to the football coach.

“Be a team, be the most excited to play, be the best at doing your job, play the next play, respect everyone, fear no one,” the wrap reads.

The truck will be seen traveling to Tampa Bay, Florida for MSU’s ReliaQuest Bowl appearance against Illinois. The game is set for January 2, starting at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.

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