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Leach ridiculed A&M's tradition as a military school in a New York Times story. In it, Leach said the A&M Corps of Cadets "get to pretend they are soldiers. The thing is, they aren't actually in the military." And he also stated, "I ought to have Mike's Pirate School. The freshmen, all they get is the bandana. When you're a senior, you get the sword and skull and crossbones. For homework, we'll work on pirate maneuvers and stuff like that."
October 19, 2007  06:06 PM ET

If leach only understood how many of those "Play Soldiers" have fought and died for our country so that he and his red **** could act the way that they do he would shut his trap.....if the corps were just playing soldiers Gen. Patton would not have said ""Give me an army of west point graduates and I'll win a battle, Give me a hand full of Texas Aggies and I'll win a war"--Gen. George S. Patton???

October 19, 2007  08:40 PM ET

Leach has got a great sense of humor. I thought he was hilarious. Play soldiers? HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHAAA
BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAA

October 19, 2007  09:25 PM ET

Cassidy,

Would it be funny if he said it about West Point, or the Air Force Academy? They are not play soldiers. Many of them go into the military as officers after graduation, and there have been many decorated combat soldiers from A&M.

The comments were pathetic and show his ignorance. If he wants to talk smack because they won a game, that his fine, but talking trash about people that protect his freedom makes him an idiot. But what do you expect from a bunch of buttt pirates.

October 19, 2007  10:24 PM ET

What do you expect from a guy named after a blood sucking invertibrate. Those cadets "playing" soldier go on to be generals in the "real" army. Open mouth insert foot.

October 20, 2007  02:15 AM ET

The Corps is not the same as West Point or Air Force or any of that. It's nothing more than a glorified ROTC. He said that because A&M wishes for the life of them that they would not be the laughing stalk of the military anymore but yet they still are. Sure they had their days in the 40's and 50's but those days are long over. Get over yourselves A&M, youre not on top of the world anymore. By the way i know this because my cousin is in the military and I have a friend who graduated from a REAL military institution like West Point.

October 20, 2007  09:12 AM ET

Gonna weigh in here, it may not be popular.

ttuman: Maybe you should have "your cousin in the military" and " a friend who grauated from a place like west point" explain it to you. It's not glorified ROTC, it IS ROTC. Your thinking of the JROTC thats at your high school. Having been in the Army, rather than "knowing" people who have been in, I can say that Leach is partially correct. Only partially. His comments were classless and obviously meant to ridicule something which he does not understand. It pains me to say so, but ttuman is correct on one thing. The Corps, while honorable and venerable, is NOWHERE near the level of commitment that West Point,Anapolis, or AFA. That being said, Leach is a total ****. I normally root against the AG's ( go UT!) But in this case, I hope they dismember the Butt Pirates.
GIG EM!

October 20, 2007  12:34 PM ET

Funny! Do you have a link to that NYT story? Love to read it.

October 20, 2007  01:04 PM ET

I found it. The above comment came from a 2005 NY Times articles. Here's the link to it: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/magazine/04coach.html?_r=1&oref=slog in&pagewanted=print

The bottom line: The only way to shut up Mike Leach is to go up there and beat him on the field. When he comes to Aggieland beat him. That always shuts up guys like Leach.

Unfortunately, this Franchione's legacy at Texas A&M. Check these facts:

Coach Fran is 17-18 in all Big 12 games (.485)
Coach Fran is 10-13 in Big 12 South games (.435)
Coach Fran is 5-15 against ranked opponents (.250)
Coach Fran is 3-10 in November (.231)
Coach Fran is 1-6 against non-conference BCS teams (.167)
Coach Fran is 2-13 against rivals UT, OU, Texas Tech and Nebraska (.133)
Coach Fran is 0-2 in bowl games (.000)

October 20, 2007  01:13 PM ET

If he above link does not work try this one:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/magazine/04coach.html

October 20, 2007  01:34 PM ET

So, if your team wins they can say anything they want about another team no matter how derogatory or stupid? That is just ridiculous. That shows a complete lack of sportsmanship or common sense. Mike Leach is a poor winner with no class.

October 20, 2007  08:01 PM ET

I don't like the corps. I don't. They're a bunch of arrogant**** and I'm glad he said that. I do know plenty of people in the corp also and this is the way they act. Don't give me the whole thing where i don't like the corp so I must not support the troops. I think it's only like 30% of the corp that actually goes in the military.

Chaz: No. They HATE being called an ROTC which is why I said that. They wish that they are a real military institution and feel it necessary to let everyone on the face of the earth know that they are in fact just as good as West Point or whatever. I know people who have graduated from those academies and have asked them about it and thats what they have told me, but of course what they have said doesn't matter does it?

October 21, 2007  01:53 AM ET

The most arrogant cadets I ever met were some Air Force Academy members right after Top Gun was released. You would have thought each of them had shot down 50 migs by their attitude. But, I would never dream of questioning anything about their institution.

The number of cadets that go on to the military is not what matters. Leach made derogatory remarks about ALL of the cadets, not just those that don't take a commission. He did it because he is an idiot, and a poor sport.

October 21, 2007  11:38 AM ET

"Top Gun" and Air Force Academy? Top Gun was "Naval Aviators"...go figure...
Leach is off, plain and simple. Flies the skull and crossbones at practice from time to time...
As for all of the talk of the cadets at A&M vs the academies, it hurts to say it, but the academies are viewed a level above A&M. A&M can argue about being "the 4th Academy", a phrase I heard from time to time on campus, which made me wonder what do those cadets call the Coast Guard Academy and the Maritime Academy. We were more on par with VMI (Virginia Military Institute) and the Citadel, but veered away from the "
military/corps only approach 3 decades ago. Tradition is very important at A&M, and the tradition of the Corps of Cadets is one of the many that help define us. If you don't like it, fine, don't enroll at A&M. Personally, I view it that Leach insulted the cadets at VMI and the Citadel just as much as A&M. He knows offense, very well. But doesn't know much about those universities based on military traditions.
What Leach really needs to worry about is, after blowing his load against A&M, he needs to figure out how to win the next game...

October 21, 2007  12:06 PM ET

Guys this story is REALLY old.
He said all of this last year.

That being said, as being someone who is actually IN the military. I really don't like the A&M "corps".

As someone who has been to the dessert and been serving my country for multiple years, its rather insulting to get to see a bunch of guys who do nothing but play war games and do chants and then 70% of them don't even join the military. PLUS and I'm not saying this to insult Texas A&M, but every officer I've ever met that graduated from there is the biggest geek ever.

October 21, 2007  12:07 PM ET

Oh but once again this article was from last year, he said that in 2006.

October 21, 2007  12:18 PM ET

Yes, but this article was rerun by SI this week...and was referenced in some writers columns this week...
To AirforceBat...
Being an Aggie, this may come as somewhat of a shock, I have heard that same response from others in other branches about A&M officers, are there at least a few exceptions to the rule? Are officers from the other military schools, not the 3 main service academies, viewed the same way?

October 21, 2007  12:40 PM ET

"Top Gun" and Air Force Academy? Top Gun was "Naval Aviators"...go figure... Wally92 | 10/21/07

I guess they figure pilots are pilots. I have no idea.

When my Dad passed away, we had a hard time getting the Air Force to send anyone to the service, because his discharge records showed Army Air Corp. They kept telling us to call the Army, even though everything else on the document said Air Force. I guess they were too young to know what the Army Air Corp was.

As for the corp and their serving in the military. Maybe some people don't like them, but they must be doing something right or the military would not promote at least some of them to generals or admirals. Also, maybe not as much recently, but there were many like my Dad who served in the military, then attended A&M as a vet. Of course, they were all corp then, but this statement by Leach is dreogatory to those who did serve their country, before or after A&M.

October 21, 2007  01:01 PM ET

There are some, who point out the National Guard ain't the "real" military, EITHER!!! Ask Georgie Bush Junior and Quayle...they dodged the draft the same as Bill Clinton!!!
Now you know that....

October 21, 2007  04:41 PM ET

I think AirforceBat is just upset that as an enlisted man he is/was below the Aggies that come into the military from the Corps.

 
October 21, 2007  04:43 PM ET

Oh and how do you win the battle? By not making mistakes in planning, I know in war alot of times planning goes out the window as soon as the **** hits the fan but these "Geeks" are the kind of people that get you back to the states in one piece.

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