SWING YOUR SWORD is the first ever book by one of the most fascinating and successful coaches in sports today. A maverick who took an unlikely path to coaching through law school, Mike Leach talks about his unorthodox approach to coaching and the choices that have brought him success throughout his career. A lover of the game who started creating formations and drawing his own plays as a kid, Leach took his Texas Tech Red Raiders to numerous bowl games, achieving the #2 slot in national rankings and being voted 2008 Coach of the Year before being unceremoniously fired at the end of the 2009 season. The scandalous nature of his dismissal created a media frenzy and began a personal battle between Leach and his accusers that remains unresolved.
Swing Your Sword: Leading the Charge in Football and Life
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Editorial Reviews
Review
I think he’s brilliant. Mike Leach is a renaissance man through and through. The commercials about the World’s Most Interesting Man—that’s Mike Leach. I love him so much. I aspire to live a full and rich life and he’s doing it. He’s as interested in literature as he is in football. He’s just a very complicated, well-rounded individual. He’s a real maverick and an inspiration.
-Peter Berg, filmmaker, director - Friday Night Lights
I could tell that our players liked him right away. What really struck me was how sure of himself of what he wanted to do. He had such conviction and confidence in his way of doing it and there wasn't any second guessing it: "This is what we're going to do. It is going to work. It has worked everywhere we've been." I remember feeling great. This is exactly what we needed to do.
-Bob Stoops, Mike’s former boss at Oklahoma
He’s one of the most unique people I’ve ever met. He’s infinitely curious about everything. He doesn’t come in there and meet new situations with an agenda. He likes to walk straight up and ask the tough questions. He loves it when someone is real as can be. He wants to learn something new. He wants to hear another point of view on something. Mike Leach is an infinitely interesting guy. His free association is epic. Nobody has the ability to free associate like this guy. He starts going and you’re thinking, ‘O.K., where are you going with this?’ I love his re-set. His re-set line is always, ‘well, the thing is.’ Whenever he switches gears to another subject, that his comma, it’s ‘Well, the thing is. . . ‘
-Matthew McConaughey
Mike Leach has proved he can write a book that's as good as his passing schemes. I might add that it also ranks up there with his leadership and communication skills. Don't miss this eye-opening entertainment.
-Dan Jenkins
“Mike Leach is a great leader and an amazing motivator of men. And he got screwed. He’s got fantastic ingenuity, not only on the football field, but what he did with Texas Tech. The guy was on the cover of the New York Times Sunday Magazine as the head coach of Texas Tech. Think about how unusual that is. He is just so smart and really is a great guy, and a great coach.”
-Donald Trump
Praise for Bruce Feldman:
Meat Market
"One of the most insightful books ever written about college football."
-The New York Times
-Peter Berg, filmmaker, director - Friday Night Lights
I could tell that our players liked him right away. What really struck me was how sure of himself of what he wanted to do. He had such conviction and confidence in his way of doing it and there wasn't any second guessing it: "This is what we're going to do. It is going to work. It has worked everywhere we've been." I remember feeling great. This is exactly what we needed to do.
-Bob Stoops, Mike’s former boss at Oklahoma
He’s one of the most unique people I’ve ever met. He’s infinitely curious about everything. He doesn’t come in there and meet new situations with an agenda. He likes to walk straight up and ask the tough questions. He loves it when someone is real as can be. He wants to learn something new. He wants to hear another point of view on something. Mike Leach is an infinitely interesting guy. His free association is epic. Nobody has the ability to free associate like this guy. He starts going and you’re thinking, ‘O.K., where are you going with this?’ I love his re-set. His re-set line is always, ‘well, the thing is.’ Whenever he switches gears to another subject, that his comma, it’s ‘Well, the thing is. . . ‘
-Matthew McConaughey
Mike Leach has proved he can write a book that's as good as his passing schemes. I might add that it also ranks up there with his leadership and communication skills. Don't miss this eye-opening entertainment.
-Dan Jenkins
“Mike Leach is a great leader and an amazing motivator of men. And he got screwed. He’s got fantastic ingenuity, not only on the football field, but what he did with Texas Tech. The guy was on the cover of the New York Times Sunday Magazine as the head coach of Texas Tech. Think about how unusual that is. He is just so smart and really is a great guy, and a great coach.”
-Donald Trump
Praise for Bruce Feldman:
Meat Market
"One of the most insightful books ever written about college football."
-The New York Times
About the Author
After stints at Kentucky and Oklahoma, Mike Leach took over a subpar Texas Tech program that had one of the worst graduation rates in all of major college football. A decade later, Leach had guided Tech to unprecedented on-field success and the highest graduation rate of any public university in major college football. He is now a TV analyst for CBS College Sports and hosts the daily College Football Playbook show on SiriusXM. He is native of Cody, Wyoming, and graduated from Brigham Young University. He earned his J.D. from Pepperdine Law School in 1986. Leach and his wife, Sharon, have four children.
Bruce Feldman is a writer for ESPN. He has written two books, Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting and Cane Mutiny. His work also has appeared in three editions of the Best American Sports Writing series. He has worked for ESPN since 1994.
Michael Lewis is the author of bestsellers The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Liar's Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Panic and Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood.
Bruce Feldman is a writer for ESPN. He has written two books, Meat Market: Inside the Smash-Mouth World of College Football Recruiting and Cane Mutiny. His work also has appeared in three editions of the Best American Sports Writing series. He has worked for ESPN since 1994.
Michael Lewis is the author of bestsellers The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Liar's Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Panic and Home Game: An Accidental Guide to Fatherhood.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
101 of 108 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a Tech fan and former student, I was interested in finally hearing Leach's side of the story. This book turned out to be so much more. I'm so glad that this is more of an autobiography, and that we learned more from Mike Leach's own pen about his life and his history. I agree completely with Donald Trump... Mike Leach was screwed... and the good 'ol boy network in Lubbock will continue to assassinate his character, lie about his actions, etc. in order to legitimize their screwing of Mike Leach. But in the end, Leach has won. He kept his honor, his principles, and his sense of humor about the whole thing. The scumbags in the bell tower have to live with themselves, and that can't be easy. Great book Mike, and I'm glad I actually purchased it and read it.
56 of 60 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I had not planned to write this review until I saw the poor one. That person actually didn't review the book but only had criticisms for Mike Leach. His "facts" about Coach Leach were inaccurate which makes me very suspicious of the review and reviewer. For one he was the best coach that Tech ever had, past and present and it is fully documented about his winning record as coach at Tech. Also the graduation rate for football players at Tech jumped during his tenure. Secondly, Leach and Tech had signed an employment agreement that Tech broke and Tech is currently trying to hide behind loopholes in Texas law as they were hiding behind Craig James. Craig James had caused problems for players and coaches at SMU in the 1980s which lasted through the 90s whereas SMU is still trying to rebuild their football program and now he's made it a family business by spreading problems to Tech. ESPN should be ashamed to have James on their payroll. If they actually cared about the sport and their own ethics he would have been gone. Craig James' commentary on ESPN is worthless. I am glad Mike Leach has written this book for everyone to understand what actually took place at Tech. I was not even a Tech or Leach fan but can understand what employers try to do to get out of paying their employees even when they are contractually required to do so. I hope Mike Leach the very best in his future endeavors and I hope things come back around for Craig James and family.
49 of 52 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Forget how Texas Tech brass handled Leach (laughable, but for serious...and possibly illegal...consequences). This book answers a lot of questions about the man and his methods...which, it turns out, aren't really mad at all. Can't imagine any coach of any sport at any level not benefiting from Leach's book...but it's also a think piece for lawyers, commentators and any underdog who's ever wondered "Why not me?". The lawyer turned coach turned author is most likely to succeed if he ever coaches again. If not, his innate curiosity, honesty and independence ensure he'll make the most of whatever he's doing. Leach won't be bored or bowed, and you can't put a price on that.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Keep Swinging Coach Leach
What a refreshing book. He is such a no frills straight-shooter. His anecdotes --while sometimes ranging pretty far afield--always hit their mark. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Buddy Levy
loved the book!!!!
This book was one of those you couldn't put down!! I have a lot of respect for Coach Leach. I hate the way he was treated by the Texas Tech administration. Read more
Published 1 month ago by ang
Entertaining Read
I was interested in this book after reading a great article Michael Lewis wrote on Leach for the NY Times yrs ago. I am not a Tx Tech fan but I do follow college football. Read more
Published 2 months ago by R. Pence
Revealing
Leach got a bad rap from some Texas good old boys all because of one man's spoiled son. The Washington state Cougers have have him now. Go Coug's!
Published 2 months ago by Tom Airhart
Found it to be a very interesting story
I found this to be a very interesting book, I guess because it's someone who shouldn't really be successful in college football since he pursued law and not sports in college. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Kevin Mcmillon
wasn't a fan...
Wasn't a fan of Mike Leach until I read this book. The politics of coaching and the effect of that on people's lives is amazing. Read more
Published 3 months ago by younggranny
Swing, swang, swung!
I asked for and received this book for Christmas. In the first day, I had cleared about 70 pages. Definitely more heavy on inspirational and leadership than I had expected, but... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Patrick G
Me Coaching Leach? He'd "roll" for this effort
As a college football fan I was drawn to Mike Leach's saga. I was interested in finding information on the Texas Tech firing, and many other things about the man. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Meijer Bjorn
Fabulous book from a true innovator
I was a fan of Mike Leach and his offensive style of football before Texas Tech was fighting a national title shot. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Tabe
Enjoyable read
This book was a phenomenal read. It was not what I expected in reading the autobiography of a college football coach. (How many football coaches have a law school background? Read more
Published 4 months ago by M. Partington
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