NBC Sports Chicago

This week, the football community lost a true innovator and passing pioneer in coaching trailblazer Mike Leach. A two-time national coach of the year winner, Leach began his career as an assistant to Hal Mumme at Iowa Wesleyan. Leach and Mumme evolved passing tenets first learned at BYU to eventually create the air raid offense. Leach's wide open passing schemes would spread defenses laterally across the field and exposed gaps to be exploited. As a result, shorter, quicker players could compete against bigger, more physical athletes. Today, undersized players are seen as assets in the NFL due to many of Leach's principles being used in the modern passing game. Now, a smaller quarterback like Kyler Murray can win the Heisman Award, become the first pick in a NFL draft and possibly have long professional careers. Thanks coach, rest in peace.