If Mike Leach ever streams “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” he will probably fast-forward to the funeral.
The Mississippi State football coach elaborated on his elope strategy as opposed to a wedding day Wednesday on the SEC teleconference, even though he did not elope when he married his wife, the former Sharon Smith, more than three decades ago. Of course, this is probably why he is for elopement.
But he and Sharon are still married and have four children and three grandchildren.
No football coach has stronger opinions on weddings than Mike Leach
After we talked about the win, I got some advice straight from the source..
Coach Leach, big elopement guy 😂
Hi @TampaBayTre pic.twitter.com/C9pvrFsm0t
— Alyssa Lang (@AlyssaLang) October 2, 2022
Mississippi State coach Mike Leach told SEC Network announcer Alyssa Lang, who is planning a wedding, why she should elope Saturday after his team beat Texas A&M.
RELATED: MIKE LEACH GAVE ALYSSA LANG MEMORABLE WEDDING ADVICE
Leach was asked on Wednesday if he and Sharon eloped since he was so passionate about telling the SEC Network’s Alyssa Lang to elope after she asked for wedding advice Saturday following the Bulldogs’ win over Texas A&M.
“No, but in hindsight, it sure would’ve been a good idea,” said Leach, who met his wife while both were students at Brigham Young in the 1980s.
RELATED: MISSISSIPPI STATE BEATS TEXAS A&M
Leach said he realized “this is a pain in the ass” not long into the wedding planning process.
“As soon as my mom and aunts and sister got involved,” he said, “then my wife and her sisters. She is one of five-straight girls. Can you imagine that? Five-straight girls.”
At first, Sharon was cool.
“But she started drinking a little bit of the Kool-Aid,” he said.
The color decision was a problem for Leach, who does not nearly have as much trouble deciding what play to call. It went a little like this:
WEDDING PLANNERS: “Tan, blue or pink?”
MIKE LEACH: “I don’t know.”
WEDDING PLANNERS: “You’ve got to be more involved. You’ve got to give us an answer.”
LEACH: “OK, the blue one.”
MORE WEDDING PLANNERS: “Now, you’re just saying anything.”
LEACH: “OK, the tan one.”
“You can’t give them a good answer,” Leach said. “So the best thing was to go to work or just not be around.”
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Another reporter on the teleconference soon joined in.
“The women like the romantic stuff, Mike,” he said.
“No, they like the process,” Leach said, borrowing a term that Alabama coach Nick Saban made famous. “They like reining everybody in and getting control, and the drama.”
In the end, Leach said the best strategy may be just to stay engaged.
“Hey, this is the 10-year anniversary of our engagement,” he said. “This is the 11-year anniversary of our engagement.”
Oh, and No. 23 Mississippi State (3-1, 1-1 SEC) hosts Arkansas (3-1, 1-1 SEC) at noon Saturday at Davis Wade Stadium on the SEC Network. No wedding is scheduled in the stadium, though that has happened.
