Mike Leach (long snapper)
.JPG) Leach in the 2013 preseason | |||||||||
| No. 83, 48, 82 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Long snapper | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | October 18, 1976 Dover, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Oak Ridge (NJ) Jefferson Twp. | ||||||||
| College: | Boston University (1995–1997), William & Mary (1998–1999) | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2000 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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John Michael Leach (born October 18, 1976) is an American former professional football player who was a long snapper in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston University and College of William & Mary. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2000. His NFL career sequentially spanned 16 seasons as a member of the Titans, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and Arizona Cardinals.
Early life
[edit]Leach attended Jefferson Township High School in Jefferson Township, New Jersey.[1] He lettered in football, baseball and basketball. In football, Leach was a first-team, all-state selection as a punter. By the time Leach had graduated in the mid-1990s, he finished as the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in Falcons basketball history. Additionally, Leach appeared in three NJSIAA basketball playoff games.[1]
College career
[edit]Leach attended Boston University (1995–1997) and The College of William & Mary (1998–2000). At The College of William and Mary, during his junior season, his 58 receptions as a tight end were the second-most at the position in school history (to Glenn Bodnar's 69 catches in 1984) and his punting average set a single-season school record of 44.4 yards.[1] The performance earned him Associated Press second-team All-America and second-team All-Atlantic 10 honors that season. He also earned first-team Walter Camp All-American honors at tight end as a senior.[1]
Professional career
[edit]Tennessee Titans
[edit]Leach signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans on April 20, 2000.[2] He played in 15 games for the Titans during the 2000 season and four games during the 2001 season before being released by the team.
Chicago Bears
[edit]Leach signed a future contract with the Chicago Bears on January 10, 2002 and attended training camp with the team before being waived on August 26 of that year.
Denver Broncos
[edit]He signed with the Denver Broncos on November 4, 2002, and served as the team's long snapper for the eight remaining games that the Broncos had during the 2002 season.[1] His first game with the Broncos occurred on November 11, 2002, as part of a 34–10 home loss to the Oakland Raiders.[3]
Leach served as the Broncos long snapper in every game through the 2008 season since his first appearance with the team in 2002.[1] He was featured in an August 2007 issue of Sports Illustrated in which writer Peter King listed the top 500 players in the NFL. Leach was ranked number 1,000 as a symbolic gesture to show that every player has a necessary role on a roster.[4]
The Broncos released Leach on March 1, 2009 after the team signed free agent long snapper Lonie Paxton.
Arizona Cardinals
[edit]Leach was signed by the Arizona Cardinals on March 11, 2009, replacing incumbent Nathan Hodel.[5] Leach spent 7 seasons with the Cardinals; totaling 19 solo tackles and 1 fumble recovery.
Retirement as an NFL player
[edit]In January 2016, Leach announced his retirement from the NFL, via Twitter, just days after the Cardinals' loss to the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2006.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ TENNESSEE TITANS 2000 ROSTER MOVES Archived September 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Raiders vs. Broncos - Game Recap - November 11, 2002 - ESPN". Archived from the original on February 1, 2003.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Cards Sign Long Snapper Leach SI.com, March 13, 2009
- ^ Arizona Cardinals long snapper Mike Leach Retires AZCentral.com, January 27, 2016
External links
[edit]- Arizona Cardinals bio Archived January 17, 2013, at archive.today
- Denver Broncos bio
- 1976 births
- Living people
- Jefferson Township High School (New Jersey) alumni
- People from Dover, New Jersey
- Players of American football from Morris County, New Jersey
- People from Jefferson Township, New Jersey
- American football punters
- American football tight ends
- American football long snappers
- Boston University Terriers football players
- William & Mary Tribe football players
- Tennessee Titans players
- Chicago Bears players
- Denver Broncos players
- Arizona Cardinals players