9. Mike Leach, Washington State — U.S. Secretary of State
There might be a number of political positions that fit the bill for Mike Leach, a man of many talents and interests. Why not U.S. Secretary of State?
Leach’s class at Washington State this spring, “Leadership Lessons in Insurgent Warfare and Football Strategies”, has drawn a considerable amount of news coverage. Leach created the class with Spokane County Treasurer Mike Baumgartner, who once worked for the U.S. State Department in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Student applicants for the class were asked to answer the following questions in 200 words: “Can the British strategy in the Malaya insurgency be used today? Is the wishbone a potentially viable offense for the NFL? Why or why not?”
For a man who’s already adept at matching football strategy with geopolitical tactics, Leach is the ideal candidate among current big-time college football coaches to represent U.S. interests abroad.