Following his unfortunate passing a few years ago while serving as the head coach at Mississippi State, Mike Leach held a career record of 158-107 as a college head coach.
Undeniably one of the game's most influential and iconic coaches for both his on-field impact as well as his off-field personality, his career win percentage was just under the requirements for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
That is about to change.
The National Football Foundation shares this morning that the College Football Hall of Fame is set to lower the win percentage requirement for head coaches ever-so-slightly from 60% to 59.5% starting in 2027.
That adjustment will seem inconsequential to many, but it marks a significant decision to commemorate the legacy of Leach.
At the time of his untimely passing back in December of 2022, Mike Leach had a win percentage of 59.6%.
Leach turned around programs at Texas Tech, Washington State, and was leading Mississippi State at the time of his death and his fingerprints with the Air Raid have impacted every level of football, with variations of Mesh and Corner seen every Sunday in the NFL, as well as at the college, high school, and youth levels.
Recent coaches who have been inducted include Mark Dantonio (Michigan State), Paul Johnson (Navy and Georgia Tech), Mark Richt (Georgia and Miami), and Gary Pinkel (Toledo and Missouri) and Bob Stoops (Oklahoma).
The move, which I would expect to be universally applauded, paves the way for Leach to take his rightful spot in the Hall of Fame, where only .02% of college football players and coaches end up being memorialized forever.
Please join us, the rest of the coaching profession, and fans of Mike Leach everywhere in celebrating this decision by the folks at the National Football Foundation for making this change.