Richard Max Leach (born May 4, 1957) is a former

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

player and professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

player. Leach was an all-state

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

at Flint Southwestern High School in the fall of 1974 and the University of Michigan's starting quarterback for four consecutive seasons ( 1975– 1978), leading the Wolverines to three consecutive

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

championships and three appearances in the Rose Bowl. As a senior in 1978, he won the

Chicago Tribune Silver Football The Chicago Tribune Silver Football is awarded by the ''Chicago Tribune'' to the college football player determined to be the best player from the Big Ten Conference. The award has been presented annually since 1924, when Red Grange of Illinois w ...

trophy as the most valuable player in the Big Ten, was selected as a first-team All-American, and finished third in the balloting for the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

. Selected by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in the first round (13th overall) of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft, Leach opted to play professional baseball. Primarily a backup

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

and

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

for the Tigers and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, he played from 1981 to 1990; he had a .268

batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...

and .335

on-base percentage In baseball statistics, on-base percentage (OBP) measures how frequently a batter reaches base. An official Major League Baseball (MLB) statistic since 1984, it is sometimes referred to as on-base average (OBA), as it is rarely presented as a ...

in 1,719 major league at bats.

Early years

Born in 1957 in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...

, Leach attended Flint Southwestern High School in

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

and graduated in 1975. As a senior, he was selected as the first-team all-state quarterback by the ''Detroit Free Press''. He broke every passing record in the Saginaw Valley League and was also an all-conference player in baseball and basketball. In 1998, a sports writer for the ''Detroit Free Press'' rated Leach as the fourth best quarterback to come out of a Michigan high school.

University of Michigan

Leach enrolled at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1975. A left-hander, he was the

Wolverines The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscu ...

' starting

from 1975 through 1978 under head coach Bo Schembechler. As an 18-year-old true freshman, Leach started 11 of 12 games and led the Wolverines to an 8–2–2 record and #8 ranking in the final AP poll. He rushed for 552 yards and passed for 680 yards as a freshman. With the Big Ten championship and a Rose Bowl berth on the line in the Michigan-Ohio State game, Leach threw an interception that was run back to the Michigan 3-yard line by Buckeye cornerback

Ray Griffin Raymond Griffin (born June 26, 1956) is a former American football cornerback. He is the younger brother of former two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin, and also played college football with the Ohio State Buckeyes and pro football for th ...

and set up the winning touchdown in a 21–14

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

victory. However, Leach and the Wolverines never lost to Ohio State again in his career. Bo Schembechler and Rick Leach

As a sophomore in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

, he started all 12 games at quarterback and led the team to a 10–2 record and #3 ranking in the final AP poll. 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. 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. 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

trophy as the most valuable player in the

. * Tied with

Chuck Fusina Charles Anthony Fusina (born May 31, 1957) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL) for seven seasons during the 1970s and ...

as the first-team quarterback on the

All-America Team The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

selected by the

American Football Coaches Association The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) is an association of over 11,000 American football coaches and staff on all levels. According to its constitution, some of the main goals of the American Football Coaches Association are to "mainta ...

. * Selected by both the

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(media) and

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(coaches) as the first-team quarterback on the All-Big Ten team. * Finished third in the balloting for the

, behind

Billy Sims Billy Ray Sims (born September 18, 1955) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the 1980s. Sims played college football for the Uni ...

and

. * Selected as the co-Most Valuable Player (along with Charles White) of the Rose Bowl, his last game as a Wolverine. Leach was the first NCAA Division I (now FBS) player to pass for 200 points and score 200 points. He continues to hold the NCAA record for highest percentage of passes for

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

s (400-499 attempts) with 45 in 462. 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 All-American in both football and baseball. In 1999, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

'' 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

* Includes bowl games.

Professional baseball

Leach was selected by the

in the first round (13th overall) of the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft. A month earlier at the

NFL draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

in early May, he was taken in the

fifth round Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash th ...

(132nd overall) by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

, but opted for a career in baseball. He signed with the Tigers in June 1979 and received a $150,000 signing bonus. Leach spent the 1979 season with the Tigers' Class A farm club in

Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is the most populous city in Polk County, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay Area, located along Interstate 4 east of Tampa. According to the 2020 U.S. Census Bureau release, the city had a population of 112,641. Lakeland is a principal ci ...

; he appeared in 48 games and compiled a .304

and .402

and had 23 RBIs in 168 at bats. In 1980, Leach was promoted to the Tigers' Class AAA team in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

, where he had a .272 batting average and .386 on-base percentage with 58 RBIs in 430 at bats. After batting .386 for Evansville during April 1981, Leach was promoted to the Tigers' roster, making his major league debut in late April 1981. He appeared in 54 games and compiled a disappointing .193 batting average in 83 at bats. 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; the Tigers released him on March 24, 1984, and was signed by the

less than two weeks later. Leach spent April 1984 and most of the 1985 season with the Triple-A

Syracuse Chiefs Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

of the

International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major League Baseball ...

. He was promoted to Toronto and remained on their roster through 1988; his best season was 1986, with a .309 batting average in 110 games. Leach concluded his major league career with the Texas Rangers in 1989 and the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

. 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.
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. In March 1991 San Francisco Giants season, 1991, the Giants asked waivers on Leach for the purpose of giving him an unconditional release.

Later years

In 2008, Leach was elected to the

Michigan Sports Hall of Fame The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame is a Hall of Fame to honor Michigan sports athletes, coaches and contributors. It was organized in 1954 by Michigan Lieutenant Governor Philip Hart, Michigan State University athletic director Biggie Munn, presid ...

.Ex-Lions Moore, Murray among Michigan Sports Hall of Fame inductees
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leach, Rick 1957 births Living people American expatriate baseball players in Canada American football quarterbacks Baseball players from Ann Arbor, Michigan Baseball players from Flint, Michigan Baseball players suspended for drug offenses Detroit Tigers players Evansville Triplets players Lakeland Tigers players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball left fielders Major League Baseball right fielders Michigan Wolverines football players Michigan Wolverines baseball players San Francisco Giants players Players of American football from Ann Arbor, Michigan Players of American football from Flint, Michigan Syracuse Chiefs players Texas Rangers players Toronto Blue Jays players