Rick Leach (baseball)
Rick Leach | |
---|---|
Outfielder / First baseman | |
Born: Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. | May 4, 1957|
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |
MLB debut | |
April 30, 1981, for the Detroit Tigers | |
Last MLB appearance | |
August 5, 1990, for the San Francisco Giants | |
MLB statistics | |
Batting average | .268 |
Home runs | 18 |
Runs batted in | 183 |
Teams | |
Richard Max Leach (born May 4, 1957) is an American former college football player and professional baseball player.
Leach was an all-state
Selected by the
Early years
Born in 1957 in
University of Michigan
Leach enrolled at the
As a sophomore in 1976, he started all 12 games at quarterback and led the team to a 10–2 record and #3 ranking in the final AP poll.[8] He passed for 973 yards and 13 touchdowns and rushed for 638 yards and 10 touchdowns in 1976.
As a junior, he started all twelve games at quarterback and led the 1977 team to a 10–2 record and #9 ranking in the final AP poll.[9] He passed for 1,348 yards and 15 touchdowns and rushed for 375 yards and seven touchdowns.
As a senior in 1978, he again started all twelve games and led Michigan to a 10–2 record and #5 ranking in the final AP poll.[10] He passed for 1,283 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 611 yards and 12 touchdowns. Leach won numerous individual honors in 1978, including the following:
- Won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten Conference.[11]
- Tied with Chuck Fusina as the first-team quarterback on the All-America Team selected by the American Football Coaches Association.[12]
- Selected by both the Associated Press (media) and United Press International (coaches) as the first-team quarterback on the All-Big Ten team.[13][14]
- Finished third in the balloting for the Heisman Trophy, behind Billy Sims and Chuck Fusina.[15]
- Selected as the co-Most Valuable Player (along with Charles White) of the Rose Bowl, his last game as a Wolverine.[16]
Leach was the first NCAA Division I (now FBS) player to pass for 200 points and score 200 points.[17] He continues to hold the NCAA record for highest percentage of passes for touchdowns (400-499 attempts) with 45 in 462.[18] One of the finest athletes in Michigan history, Leach was named All-Big Ten as a quarterback three times and also placed in the voting for the Heisman Trophy three times.
Leach shattered all Michigan's career passing, total offense and touchdown records. He set an NCAA record for most touchdowns accounted for (82) and broke Big Ten records for total offense (6,460 yards), total plays (1,034), and touchdown passes (48).
A standout on the diamond as well as the gridiron, Leach won the Big Ten batting championship as a junior and won the rare honor of being named
In 1999, Sports Illustrated published a list of "The 50 Greatest Sports Figures from Michigan" (in all sports), and ranked Leach 22nd. "The 50 Greatest Sports Figures from Michigan," Sports Illustrated, December 27, 1999.
College statistics
Legend | |
---|---|
Led the Big Ten | |
Big Ten record | |
NCAA record | |
Led the NCAA | |
Bold | Career high |
Season | School | Games | Cmp | Att | Yds | Pct | TD | INT | QBR | Car | Yds | Avg | TD |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Team | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
1975 | Michigan | 12 | 32 | 100 | 680 | 32.0% | 3 | 12 | 75.0 | 113 | 552 | 4.9 | 5 |
1976 | Michigan | 12 | 50 | 105 | 973 | 47.6% | 13 | 8 | 151.1 | 114 | 638 | 5.6 | 10 |
1977 | Michigan | 11 | 76 | 147 | 1,109 | 51.7% | 13 | 7 | 134.7 | 106 | 370 | 3.5 | 7 |
1978 | Michigan | 12 | 78 | 158 | 1,283 | 49.4% | 17 | 6 | 145.5 | 145 | 611 | 4.2 | 12 |
Career | Michigan | 47 | 236 | 510 | 4,045 | 46.3% | 46 | 33 | 129.7 | 478 | 2,171 | 4.5 | 34 |
* Includes bowl games.
Professional baseball
Leach was selected by the
After batting .386 for Evansville during April 1981, Leach was promoted to the Tigers' roster, making his major league debut in late April 1981.[23] He appeared in 54 games and compiled a disappointing .193 batting average in 83 at bats.[2] Leach remained with the Tigers for two more seasons, principally in a backup role with batting averages of .239 in 1982 and .248 in 1983;[2] the Tigers released him on March 24, 1984,[24] and was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays less than two weeks later.
Leach spent April
Leach concluded his major league career with the Texas Rangers in 1989 and the San Francisco Giants in 1990.[2] During a road trip with Texas in May 1989 to New York, Leach disappeared. The Rangers filed a missing persons report, and Leach reappeared a day later.[25][26] [1] After a positive drug test in late July 1990 at age 33, Leach was placed on the 60-day disqualified list in August and agreed to enter drug rehabilitation.[27][28] In March 1991, the Giants asked waivers on Leach for the purpose of giving him an unconditional release.[29]
Later years
In 2008, Leach was elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.[30]
See also
References
- ^ a b c "Leach Tigers' top draft pick". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. June 6, 1979. p. 56.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Rick Leach". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ^ Hal Schram (December 1, 1974). "Free Press All-State a 'Work of Art'". Detroit Free Press. p. 6E.
- ^ "Thumbnail Sketches of 1st Team". Detroit Free Press. December 1, 1974. p. 6E.
- ^ "Michigan's All-Time QBs". Detroit Free Press. August 27, 1998. p. 7.
- ^ "1975 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ISBN 1-58261-695-7.
- ^ "1976 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ^ "1977 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ^ "1978 Football Team". University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ^ "Past Silver Football winners". Detroit Free Press. April 26, 2014.
- ^ "Leach, Fusina are both All-Americans". Detroit Free Press. November 30, 1978. p. 3D – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "MSU, U-M dominate All-Big Ten". Detroit Free Press. December 7, 1978. p. 10D.
- ^ "Michigan, Michigan State Dominate All-Big Ten Team". The Hour, Norwalk, Connecticut. November 29, 1978. p. 27.
- ^ "Sims wins Heisman, Leach 3d". Detroit Free Press. November 29, 1978. p. D1.
- ^ "Sad farewell for U-M's potent backfield". Detroit Free Press. January 3, 1979. p. 2D.
- ^ "2009 Division I Football Records Book: Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 13. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
- ^ "2009 Division I Football Records Book: Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Records" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. p. 16. Retrieved 2010-07-09.
- ^ "Rick Leach college statistics". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
- ^ Joe Lapointe (June 8, 1979). "Tigers get their man, sign Leach for $150,000". Detroit Free Press. p. D1.
- ^ Taylor, Jim (June 9, 1979). "Gibson-Leach duet possible for Tigers". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). p. 20.
- ^ a b c "Rick Leach (minor league)". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
- ^ "Tigers call Leach from Evansville". Detroit Free Press. April 30, 1981. p. D1.
- ^ Bill McGraw (March 25, 1984). "Release by Tigers stuns Leach". Detroit Free Press. p. 10D.
- ^ "Leach doesn't appear for game in New York". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. May 9, 1989. p. 18.
- ^ "Leach returns, is issued a summons". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. May 10, 1989. p. 26.
- ^ "Rick Leach suspended for failing drug test". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. August 7, 1990. p. 20.
- ^ "Giants' Leach fails drug test, is suspended". Detroit Free Press. August 7, 1990. p. D1.
- ^ "Transactions". Detroit Free Press. March 20, 1991. p. 12D.
- ^ Ex-Lions Moore, Murray among Michigan Sports Hall of Fame inductees
External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball Reference