Arizona Cardinals: Mike Leach Now Has Time to Focus on the Potty
By David Mamola
Arizona Cardinals’ long snapper Mike Leach announces his retirement after 16 NFL seasons, allowing him to focus on another hobby….”Potty Pals”
On Wednesday, Mike Leach, the long snapper for the Arizona Cardinals for the past seven seasons, announced his retirement on Twitter.
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Leach, 39, who originally entered the NFL as a tight end with the Tennessee Titans, spent six seasons with the Denver Broncos as their long snapper before being signed by the Cardinals in 2009 for the same role. Leach was Mr. Reliable, rarely making mistakes and covering kicks with relentlessness. Leach retires from the NFL with an active streak of 216 straight games played, only trailing the Houston Texans’ punter Shane Lechler (222 games) for longest such streak in the league. Former punter Jeff Feagles holds the all-time league record for most consecutive games played with 352.
Leach received many accolades during his 16 seasons in the NFL, perhaps most notably being the Arizona Cardinals’ Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2010.
Despite retiring, Leach will still have plenty to do. A few years ago, Leach and his wife Julie (who earned her MBA and has plenty of experience in the sales-industry) started making a line of stuffed animals called “Potty Pals” that help toilet-train children. The idea started when the Leaches had a hard time toilet-training their own two children.
“Like many parents, we found that it wasn’t the most pleasant experience,” Julie Leach said. “We thought there had to be a product out there that made it fun, but we couldn’t find anything that was like what we had in mind. We started the process several years ago developing a prototype.”
The Leaches attended the NFL’s Consumer Product Boot Camp a couple of years ago and developed a marketing and mass-production business plan just a short time later.
The product, which sells for $34.95, includes a stuffed animal (there are several different ones to choose from), a storybook (written by the Leaches themselves), and a progress sheet with stickers. A portion of the sales go to the Phoenix Children’s Hospital, a place where the Leaches have had a strong connection with for years.
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Leach has said that some teammates have joked with him in fun about the fact that he is doing this, but there also have been some players that have bought the kit as well.
There is no doubt that Leach’s consistency and role in the locker room will surely be missed. His departure means that the Cardinals will have to find a new long snapper that is as steady and reliable as Leach, something that will be nearly impossible to do. But Father Time stops for no one, and as one of the oldest players in the league, Leach knew that it was time to walk away.
Yet for Leach, the NFL door may be closing, but a brand new one is opening for him in “Potty Pals.” “Potty Pals” may be only available online and in the Phoenix area right now, but couple the extra time on his hands with his strong work ethic, and “Potty Pals” may soon be a product that people use all across the world!