KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Volunteers football team and head coach Josh Heupel shared condolences on Twitter Tuesday after the death of Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach.
Leach passed away on Monday, Dec. 12 following complications from a heart condition.
"I am heartbroken on the passing of Coach Leach. In 1999, he gave a kid out of Snow College in Utah a shot at major college football. He saw something in me when no one else did," Heupel said. "Like so many across our sport, I am grateful for Coach Leach's impact on my life both personally and professionally."
Leach was the University of Oklahoma's offensive coordinator in 1999 when Heupel was the Sooners' quarterback.
You can read Heupel's full statement below.
Tennessee Football tweeted about the passing of Leach.
"Heartbreaking. Prayers go out to the entire Leach family and Mississippi State community," the tweet said.
Leach was interested in joining the Tennessee Volunteers as head coach in 2017. However, Jeremy Pruitt was hired instead. You can watch a 2018 WBIR segment below that discusses the situation.
