Mississippi State coach Mike Leach hospitalized in Jackson

Mississippi State football coach Mike Leach was hospitalized on Sunday after suffering a “personal health issue” at home earlier in the day, the university said in a news release. .

Leach, according to the statement, was transported by ambulance to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson after having the problem at home. The university said it would have no further comment at this time other than to say that “the thoughts and prayers of the university are with Mike and [wife] Sharon and her family.”

Leach, in his third season as Mississippi State coach, told ESPN after the conclusion of the regular season that he battled pneumonia during the season but was feeling better.

Mississippi State President Mark Keenum and athletic director Bracky Brett decided to put defensive coordinator Zach Arnett in charge of the football program until Leach returned. Practice for the January 2 ReliaQuest Bowl against Illinois has already begun. Leach was in practice on Saturday before suffering from his health issue on Sunday.

Leach, 61, is in his third stint as head coach. He was at Texas Tech from 2000 to 2009 and Washington State from 2012 to 2019. He was the 2018 AFCA National Coach of the Year in Washington State.