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Mike Leach (long snapper)

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Mike Leach
refer to caption
Leach in the 2013 preseason
No. 83, 48, 82
Position:Long snapper
Personal information
Born: (1976-10-18) October 18, 1976 (age 48)
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
Career NFL statistics
Games played:235
Total tackles:56
Fumble recoveries:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

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

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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

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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

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Tennessee Titans

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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  1. ^ 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)
  2. ^ TENNESSEE TITANS 2000 ROSTER MOVES Archived September 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Raiders vs. Broncos - Game Recap - November 11, 2002 - ESPN". Archived from the original on February 1, 2003.
  4. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved September 8, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ Cards Sign Long Snapper Leach SI.com, March 13, 2009
  6. ^ Arizona Cardinals long snapper Mike Leach Retires AZCentral.com, January 27, 2016
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