Bob Stoops, HC at UofFla, called Hal Mumme, head coach of Heisman contender Tim Couch and Kentucky at the time and told him, "Hal, I've taken the job at OU and I want to interview Leach, your OC. I can't stop your Air Raid offense. I want it at OU. I will let Leach call all the plays and pay him a lot more than UK can. Mumme said ok and the rest is history. Leach became the OC at OU for the 1999 season.
Leach went to work and found a JC QB at Snow JC who was a great decision maker with a pretty good arm but not a runner at all. His name was Josh Huepel. With Stoops D and the Leach Air Raid O they turned around the OU program. The next year in 2000, Leach had taken the Tex Tech head job. Stoops then hired a new Co-OC, Chuck Long, but told him to let Huepel run the Air Raid just like Leach had taught it to him. Huepel was a brilliant kid, a coach on the field. They ran the Air Raid again in 2000 with Huepel at QB but without Leach and won the National Championship. The next year 2001,after Huepel graduated, they ditched the Air Raid. Without Mike Leach's offense led by Huepel they never would have won the NC. Huepel is now building a champion offense and program at Tennessee.
The Air Raid has been proven to be a great but simple to learn offense that has since invaded the pros. See Kyler Murray's success at Arizona under Kingsbury. The Air Raid has changed the face of football in US. See the book about Mumme and Leach's creation of the offense entitled "The Perfect Pass" written by Sam Gwynne.
People at A&M have always poo pooed the offense as "gimmickery" even though A&M is 4-8 against it in 12 tries each time with more talent than Leach.
