Mike Leach rescued WSU from the edge of the abyss. He almost got us to the promised land with Minshew. The man was an X and Os genius and deserves to be in the hall of fame. But his accomplishments come with caveats.
The era was different.
No coach in WSU history had more money given him to work with than Leach. We went deeply in debt because of unsustainable football spending. Price on the other hand couldn't even get his coaches two year contracts, that's our norm.
Under Leach our non-conference schedule went from annual "body bag" games to pay bills, to 3 cup cakes at home. When Price last won the conference, one of his losses was to the #1 team in the nation in Columbus!
6-7 home games as opposed to 5
The institution of the 12/13 game schedule
.500 and you go bowling era
The sad demise of the Pac-12. Before Leach, the Pac was at or near the top in terms of talent and play. While not his fault, he coached during an era when the conference was only a shell of its former self, the bottom of the Power 5. Price still coached during an era when the Pac had more players in the NFL, per team, than any other conference. In 2002, 10 Pac 12 teams had winning records.
He was utterly owed by the Dawgs.
To give you an example of the era differences. Playing under Leach era "success" opportunities, lowly Jim Walden takes WSU to bowl games 3 times 1981, 1983 and 1984, during an era when Pac-10 talent was the best anywhere.
Great coach, but let's not get too carried away.
Your making BS reasons. Facts are that NO OTHER COACHES BEFORE LEACH, PRICE, DID WHAT THOSE 2 COACHES DID FOR WSU IN WSU'S ENTIRE 100+ YEAR HISTORY.
And you like other wrong COUGS continue to RECOGNIZE, EXCUSE, ETC, what the PAC 12 REF'S, PAC 12 OFFICIATING EXEC WOODY, AND USC, ETC, DID TO CHEAT WSU, LEACH, OUT OF THAT WIN. WSU, LEACH WAS WINNING, GETS CREDIT FOR THAT WIN. EVEN ESPN, ETC, SAID THAT WSO, LEACH WON THAT GAME, ETC.
And it wasn't WSU's, Leach's fault in that Apple Cup. 1,2,3,4 feet of Snow MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE AIR RAID and for WSU Air Raid personell to WIN. If not for that SHIT happening, WSU, LEACH, MINSHEW PROBABLY WOULD HAVE WON THAT APPLE CUP 99 OUT OF 100 TIMES.
THAT WAS NOT LEACH'S FAULT, AND WAS BEYOND HIS CONTROL.
BECAUSE OF THAT WSU, LEACH GETS UNOFFICIAL EQUIVALENT CREDIT FOR APPLE CUP AND USC GAME.
If not for the SHIT of the Apple Cup, and the SHIT of the USC game, WSU, Leach would have OFFICIALLY WON THOSE GAMES and been 13-0, and at the very least been 12-1, and would have played in the Pac 12 Championship game, and probably won it, and would have either gone to the PLAY OFFS, NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, ROSEBOWL, COTTON BOWL, FIESTA BOWL.
LEACH, MINSHEW DID UNOFFICIALLY EQUIVALENTLY LEAD WSU TO THE PROMISED LAND.
The BULLSHIT REFS, PAC 12 OFFICIATING EXEC WOODY, USC, USC, 1,2,3,4 FEET OF SNOW ABSOLUTELY CHEATED WSU, LEACH, MINSHEW OUT OF THE OFFICIAL PROMISED LAND.
Because of that WSU, LEACH, MINSHEW, IS, WAS WORTHY, GETS TO FLIP THE MIDDLE FINGER AT USC BULLSHIT USC, BULLSHIT PAC 12 REFS, BULLSHIT PAC 12 OFFICIATING EXEC WOODY, BULLSHIT 1,2,3,4 FEET OF SNOW KILLING THE AIR RAID, ETC, AND GET UNOFFICIAL, EQUIVALENCY OF THE PROMISED LAND, 13-0, 12-1, PAC 12 CHAMPS, PLAYOFFS, ROSEBOWL, COTTONBOWL, FIESTA BOWL, NY6, ETC.
WSU, MINSHEW, LEACH, did lead WSU to that, and FCK ANYBODY, PAC 12, MEDIA, NCAA, ETC, WHO SAYS OTHERWISE.
WSU, MINSHEW, LEACH, DID LEAD WSU TO THAT, GET CREDIT FOR THAT, AND WERE CHEATED OUT OF OFFICIALLY GETTING, DOING THAT BY ALL THE ULTIMATE EXTREME BULLSHIT.
And by saying Leach never did that, etc, you excuse what the PAC 12 refs, PAC 12 OFFICIATING EXEC WOODY did.
Your just like the WSU HOMERS that try to downplay what Price did, simply because of the way he went to, and did, and didn't do Alabama
In a Similar way your either a WSU Homer, who dismisses Leach, because don't like Leach, etc.
Or you DONT RECOGNIZE what Leach has done at WSU that either no other coach has done at WSU, or only Price has done at WSU.
Even Coaches, Players around the country, and ESPN, Fox, media, etc, think, say that Leach was a LEGENDARY coach at WSU, that did things at WSU that no other coach at WSU has done, and that deserves, should get recognition for that, Statues, or Leach field, or Leach building, Leach being in Hall of Fame, etc.
You and others like you are being just as bad as the silly Ore St fans who say Riley wasn't a Legendary coach at Ore St, and doesn't deserve a statue, Hall of Fame, etc.