A silly rule may no longer prevent Mike Leach from being enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.
On Thursday, the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy tweeted that the National Football Foundation, the CFB Hall of Fame governing body, will lower the required win percentage for coaches from 60 percent to 59.5 percent in 2027, making Leach eligible.
At the time of his death in December 2022, the former Texas Tech/Washington State/Mississippi State head coach had a record of 158-107 (59.6 percent).
Leach’s legacy, however, goes beyond wins and losses. He was one of the sport’s biggest innovators.
After Leach became an offensive coordinator at NAIA school Iowa Wesleyan in 1989, he and then-HC Hal Mumme developed a pass-heavy offense nicknamed the “Air Raid.” In October 2020, Leach said it came from the school’s use of an air siren after touchdowns, via former ESPN writer Sam Khan Jr.
After stints with Valdosta State, Oklahoma and Kentucky, Leach was Texas Tech HC from 2000-09, where he continued to perfect his offense.
During the 2003 season, former Red Raiders quarterback B.J. Symons finished with the second-most passing yards (5,833 in 13 games) in a season in FBS history. Four seasons later, QB Graham Harrell threw for the third-most yards in a season (5,705 in 13 games) in FBS history.
Leach also developed prolific passers at Washington State and Mississippi State. Former Cougars QB Luke Falk averaged an FBS-leading 380.5 passing yards per game in 12 games in the 2015 season. Former Bulldogs QB Will Rogers had the nation’s highest completion percentage (73.9 percent in 13 games) in 2021.
Leach’s coaching tree has spread throughout college football and the NFL. It includes Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Southern California HC Lincoln Riley, TCU HC Sonny Dykes and Tennessee HC Josh Heupel.
“The [National Football Foundation] is committed to preserving the integrity and the prestige of the NFF College Football Hall of Fame,” NFF resident and CEO Steve Hatchell said in a statement, via CBS Sports’ Will Backus. “This adjustment reflects thoughtful dialogue with leaders across the sport and allows us to better recognize coaches whose contributions to the game extend beyond a narrow statistical threshold.”
It seems the NFF has come to its senses and realized that a coach of Leach’s stature likely belongs in the CFB Hall of Fame.
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