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Former Mississippi State QB Sawyer Robertson shares hysterical Mike Leach story

Only Mike Leach would think to do this to fire up his football team!
ByAndrew Miller|
Jul 19, 2022; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach shown on the stage during SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
Jul 19, 2022; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach shown on the stage during SEC Media Days at the College Football Hall of Fame. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Late Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach was renowned for unabashedly marching to the beat of his own drum both as a coach and as a person. There have been countless remarkable, and frequently hilarious, stories told by those who played or worked for Leach, and one of his former QBs just gave us a gem of a tale about The Pirate.

Mike Leach read Mississippi State Bulldogs a children's book following loss to Alabama

One of Mississippi State's top recruits of the Mike Leach-era was quarterback Sawyer Robertson. The Lubbock, TX native grew up watching Leach's teams tear apart defenses at Texas Tech, played in the Air Raid in high school, and ultimately chose to play for The Pirate. At the time of his signing, the 4-star prospect was the highest-rated QB signee in MSU history.

Robertson spent two seasons in Starkville, backing up Will Rogers. Following Leach's passing in December of 2022, he transferred back to his home state to play for Baylor. Last season, Robertson took-over as the starting QB in Waco and now enters 2025 as one of the top passers in the Big 12.

The buzz around Robertson has him doing some media hits ahead of the season, and on an episode of the Next Up with Adam Breneman podcast, the former Bulldog recalled a hysterical moment with the late Pirate.

According to Robertson, Mike Leach was frustrated with his offense after a poor showing against Alabama. When asking players what the issue was, many expressed having a lack of confidence while facing the Crimson Tide.

The idea of lacking confidence was utterly absurd to Leach, so he responded like only he could. The next day in team meetings, The Pirate pulled out a children's book: The Little Engine That Could.

Leach read the book cover to cover, narrating all the "chug, chug's," "choo, choo's," and "I think I can's" aloud to a room of SEC football players. He finished and told his team "There, now y'all should be some confident guys. Now go out and practice."

Incredible. I'm not sure there's ever been another coach who would think to read a children's book to inspire confidence in his football team, but of course, there's never been another Mike Leach and never will be. The man was truly one of a kind. And frankly, given how Mississippi State tends to perform against Alabama, why not try and embrace the mentality of a cartoon train? It certainly couldn't hurt!

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