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Washington State coach Mike Leach does not consider himself a good dancer, but he can recognize talent when he sees it on his roster, and cornerback Marcellus Pippins has drawn some attention with his moves. 

“It gets his energy going,” Leach told ESPN.com. “As good of a dancer as he is, I think he ought to dance more ... He dances and all of a sudden the juice is flowing and you can’t stop him.”

In discussing Pippins with ESPN’s Chantel Jennings, Leach brought his own unique philosophy to the table regarding both dancing as an art of expression and a critique of his own abilities. It’s a great piece that really focuses on Pippins, a player to watch for the Cougars this fall, but there are some great takeaways regarding Leach himself, including: 

  • Leach been insecure about dancing since grade school
  • Middle school dances are “horrible social events.”
  • When forced on the dance floor, his move is to “tread water in place” until the attention goes away. 
  • When forced on the dance floor, he doesn’t “look like Elaine on Seinfield,” which of course references the “full body dry heave” routine performed to perfection by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. 

The full quote, via Jennings:

“All Scandinavians feel a tiny bit self conscious, of which I’m one. I’m supposed to be outgoing and interesting, no, I’ve always been insecure about dancing. I was when I was in high school. They used to have a segment of P.E. when I was in grade school [and] I used to get kicked out when they’d have square dancing. I have always felt insecure about dancing. My wife is a great dancer. But I don’t dance. I walk in place if I’m forced out there. I don’t have any religious reservations about it and I respect people who can dance great. I don’t look like Elaine on Seinfeld, but all I’m going to is tread water in place and make it go away. It’s like in junior high -- you  want social interaction. Long story short: if you’re a guy, you want to meet girls and vice versa. What a horrible social event. So I’m going to burst into dance? No, I’m not.” 

“I was good at dodge ball. I bordered on great at dodge ball.”  

And since it’s never a bad time to relive Elaine’s epic dance moves ...