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Illinois to honor Mike Leach during ReliaQuest Bowl against Mississippi State

Keith Farner

By Keith Farner

Published:

Illinois joins the majority of college football teams that have or will honor Mike Leach during bowl season.

The Illini will have a special circumstance since their bowl game is the ReliaQuest Bowl against Leach’s team, Mississippi State. The Illini will wear the helmet sticker that’s commonly used around the SEC and across college football: “MIKE” with a cowbell in place of the i.

The game is set for noon ET on ESPN2 on Monday.

When the teams were matched in the bowl, Illinois coach Bret Bielema shared that he and Leach texted about the matchup, and expected upcoming meeting, and later talked on the phone.

After Leach died, Bielema shared this statement:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Mike Leach’s family,” Bielema said in a statement. “Today is a sad day for college football. We lost a great coach, a great person, and one of the legendary personalities in our sport. Mike and I built a long friendship after first meeting at the Alamo Bowl in the early 2000s. We shared so many memories over the years. RIP, Mike.”

Keith Farner

A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.

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