Swing Your Sword: Waging Battles and Reaping Rewards in Football and Life

Legendary head coach Mike Leach tells his captivating story—from rural Wyoming to law school to the upper echelons of the SEC.

SWING YOUR SWORD is the first ever book by one of the most fascinating and successful coaches in sports today. A maverick who took an unlikely path to coaching through law school, Mike Leach talks about his unorthodox approach to coaching and the choices that have brought him success throughout his career. A lover of the game who started creating formations and drawing his own plays as a kid, Leach took his Texas Tech Red Raiders to numerous bowl games, achieving the #2 slot in national rankings and being voted 2008 Coach of the Year before being unceremoniously fired at the end of the 2009 season. The scandalous nature of his dismissal created a media frenzy and began a personal battle between Leach and his accusers that remains unresolved.

Mike Leach (1961–2022) was a groundbreaking and innovative football coach known for his revolutionary "Air Raid" offense, which redefined college football strategy. Over his 21-year head coaching career at Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State, Leach became one of the most respected and colorful personalities in sports, earning numerous Coach of the Year awards and leaving a lasting legacy on the game.
Beyond football, Leach was a polymath with a law degree from Pepperdine University, an interest in history, and an affinity for pirates, which inspired much of his unique leadership philosophy. In Swing Your Sword, he offers an unfiltered look at his unconventional journey, from coaching obscurity to becoming one of the most innovative minds in football. The book is as insightful, entertaining, and bold as the man himself.