Mike Leach isn’t a fan of the big city. He told us exactly how big of a fan he is of LA and its traffic earlier this this season during Pac-12 media day. And Leach has built a career around shining in small cities.

From Lubbock to Pullman and everywhere in between, he’s taken small towns and put them on a national level. And that path started early on in his coaching days when he found one of his first major college coaching jobs at NAIA level Iowa Wesleyan.

This Friday, Washington State will take on Iowa State in the Alamo Bowl. But during practice this week, Leach took a moment to take a look back at his time with another school from the Hawkeye state.

“The one thing about being at a small college is that you do everything,” Leach told the media after practice Tuesday. “You know what the equipment guys does... Because I was the equipment guy”

In the end, Leach ended up doing just about everything from equipment manager to video coordinator (“You can put a man on the moon but that thing never worked”) to even clearing the field of snow before games.

Of course, Leach stole the media spotlight. He also got the chance to geek out over his team’s visit to the Alamo and pulled off a magic trick with a member of the San Antonio media. The quotes are sure to keep coming as Friday’s kickoff comes closer.

Links

The good, bad and ugly: A look back at Washington State’s history against the Big 12 Conference | The Spokesman-Review
As the Cougars (10-2, 7-2) gear up to play the Cyclones (8-4, 6-3) in the Alamo Bowl, we take a look at five memorable WSU games – for good or for bad – against the Big 12.

Video: Washington State coach Mike Leach post practice Dec. 25 - The Spokesman-Review - Dec. 25, 2018
Washington State coach Mike Leach talks about Iowa State, how the Cougars' connections in the Big 12 have helped prepare for the Cyclones and his experience coaching at Iowa Wesleyan.

Video: Washington State inside linebackers coach Ken Wilson post practice Dec. 25 - The Spokesman-Review - Dec. 25, 2018
Cougars inside linebackers coach Ken Wilson talks about Iowa State, preparing for Cyclones receiver Hakeem Butler and what an 11th win would signify for the WSU program.

Alamo Bowl pits No. 25 Iowa State vs. No. 12 Washington State - UPI.com
The No. 25 Iowa State Cyclones face off against the 12th-ranked Washington State Cougars in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Friday in San Antonio.

Mike Leach loves the ‘Christmas Story’ 24-hour marathon
He also thinks everybody should have a leg lamp like in the movie, because of course he does.