Washington State Coaching Legend Now Eligible For HOF

A Hall of Fame is meant to honor the best of the best.  Sometimes defining a Hall of Famer is harder than you think, especially when you're talking about those that aren't athletes.  In those cases, statistics don't always tell the whole story.  The College Football Hall of Fame recently announced a change to one criteria that may right what many have felt was a glaring wrong.

When measuring players it is pretty cut and dry when determining who is Hall of Fame worthy.  Stats, impact, and influence on the game are the usual measuring sticks.  When you talk about coaches, it isn't that simple.  Many college coaches have been defined by the impact on the men they've coached, the amount of players that have gone to the pros under their tutelage, and how they've contributed to the game outside of simple wins and losses.

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Don't get me wrong, wins and losses matter...a lot.  When you're on the borderline for eligibility for induction as a coach, and the only thing that is keeping you out is a few percentage points, that's when you wonder if there needs to be a tweak to the process.  Such has been the case with former Washington State legend Mike Leach.

"The Pirate" came to Pullman after making his name in Lubbock at Texas Tech.  Leach's version of the "Air Raid" offense (created by his mentor Hal Mumme) changed the college game as the Red Raiders led the NCAA in passing offense for four years in a row.  Under Leach quarterbacks flourished.  At Tech, Kliff Kinsgbury would set the NCAA record for completions and his successor B.J. Symons would throw for over 5,800 yards in his only season as a starter.

Leach would rack up 84 wins in 10 seasons in Lubbock becoming the schools all-time leader in wins.  Controversy would lead to Leach leaving Texas Tech after 2009 and remaining out of coaching until Pullman called before the start of the 2012 season.

Leach took over a Cougar program that hadn't had a winning since since 2003.  It took until 2015 to change those fortunes, but that season brought WSU it's first bowl win since 2003 and saw Leach earn Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors.  His personality and unique press conferences may have made Leach the most loved coach to walk the side lines in Pullman.  When he left after 2019 he added 55 more wins to his resume.

Mike Leach and the SEC

Mississippi State would be the final stop for The Pirate.  Before MSU's bowl game in December of 2022, tragedy would strike as Mike Leach passed away one day after suffering a massive heart attack.  Leach was mourned by the entire sport and calls immediately came for enshrinement in the HOF because of his contributions to the game and his players alike.  There was one problem...he wasn't eligible.

For a coach to be eligible for induction they need a career winning percentage of .600, basically winning 60% of games they coached.  That has long been criticized because not all coaches that have made an impact have coached at football powerhouses like Alabama (Hal Mumme is a prime example).

When Leach died his winning percentage was .596.  The College Football Hall of Fame announced they have lowered the career winning percentage mark to .595 beginning with the Class of 2027.  I hope it doesn't take long for voters to put Mike Leach where he belongs...among the all-time greats in the college coaching ranks.