College Football Hall of Fame lowers win percentage qualification, making Mike Leach eligible for induction

After at least a year of heavy politicking, a change will be made to the induction rules for the College Football Hall of Fame. The organization has paved the way for Mike Leach to join.

According to a press release from the National Football Foundation, the College Football Hall of Fame will lower its win percentage requirement for entry from 60% to 59.5% in 2027. That will make the late Mississippi State coach eligible for induction.

“The NFF is committed to preserving the integrity and prestige of the NFF College Football Hall of Fame,” NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said. “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’s a move many have clamored for for quite some time. It was a big topic of discussion at multiple league media days last year.

“I also want to mention, I know a couple of my counterparts have said some of the same things regarding this notion,” Lincoln Riley said at Big Ten Media Days. “But obviously Mike Leach meant a lot to my career. Instrumental in my upbringing. I know there’s been a lot of debate and talk about him belonging in the College Football Hall of Fame and [I] certainly want to voice my support for that happening here on this stage.

“That’s something that’s very important to me. He changed the game and changed a lot of people’s lives, mind included in the process of it. I know there’s technicalities and rules that have to happen, but I totally agree that the Hall of Fame is simply not complete without Mike Leach being in that. Just certainly wanted to be able to represent that here on this stage.”

The previous rules for induction prevented Leach from being eligible. Those rules?

In short, a head coach needs to have been active for at least 10 seasons, coaching in 100 games, and have a .600 winning percentage. Leach doesn’t have a .600 winning percentage. He has a .596 winning percentage, largely because he took jobs at schools that had historic disadvantages within their respective conferences.

Riley wasn’t the only head coach to campaign for Mike Leach’s inclusion, either. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz also joined the chorus after realizing SEC Media Days would be headed to the College Football Hall of Fame in the near future.

“It reminded me to call on CEO Steve Hatchell to do the right thing and to nominate Mike Leach for the College Football Hall of Fame,” Drinkwitz said at the 2024 SEC Media Days. “We need to put his name on the ballot.

“Coach Leach, in my mind, and I believe in most of the people in this room’s mind, is a no-doubt Hall of Famer. He impacted our game more in the last 50 years than a lot of other people. Not only with his legacy but also with his football acumen. His air raid offense is the dominant offense when you look at high school football, its elements in college football, and all the way translating into the NFL. We all know Y-cross, we all know that six is four verticals. We all understand that rocket laser where tailback screens rocket to the right, laser to the left.”

Now, Mike Leach will officially be eligible for the College Football Hall of Fame in the near future. It’s been a long time coming.