From Daniel Boone to Geronimo: What inspired Mike Leach's favorite Christmas gifts

Andy Kostka, Mississippi Clarion Ledger
·2 min read
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MEMPHIS — Mike Leach allowed his mind to wander for just a moment, away from the upcoming AutoZone Liberty Bowl and Mississippi State football’s final preparations to close out the 2021 season. This Christmas, the coach and the team rode from Starkville to Memphis on a bus.

For that brief moment Saturday evening, Leach thought back on a Christmas long ago, when he was a fourth-grader growing up in Wyoming.

Leach was a fan of "Daniel Boone," a television series that aired for seven seasons until 1970, depicting the famous pioneer’s encounters with Native Americans. So that Christmas, Leach received a Daniel Boone musket from Santa.

“Back then, kids and dogs ran all over the neighborhood,” Leach said. “It came in extremely handy when you went out in the backyard with your friends and played Daniel Boone.”

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All these years later, Leach still has a penchant for replica guns. He might not run around the neighborhood to play Daniel Boone any longer, but the 60-year-old coach has long admired key figures from previous generations.

Leach and Buddy Levy wrote a book - “Geronimo: Leadership Strategies of an American Warrior” - that was released in 2014, following the life of the Apache leader.

So this Christmas, amid all the preparations for facing Texas Tech (6-6) on Tuesday (5:45 p.m., ESPN), Leach unwrapped a replica of Geronimo’s .45 Colt rifle.

“I’m still debating whether to shoot it or not,” Leach said. “They say you’re not supposed to shoot those commemorative ones, but I haven’t ruled that one out yet.”

That will come after Mississippi State (7-5) plays at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium to close out the season.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mike Leach: Top Christmas gifts revolve around Geronimo, Daniel Boone