The egregious omission of Mike Leach from the CFB Hall of Fame begs for a change

Arguing for the inclusion of players or coaches in any sports Hall of Fame is an age-old pastime. There are always seemingly deserving candidates who year after year miss the cut.

Most fans carry at least one torch for a favorite who has been unfairly omitted. Personally I've always lobbied for Dale Murphy to take his rightful spot in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Tommy Nobis to have a bust in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and forErk Russell to finally be included in the College Football Hall of Fame.

While I have personal investments in those three names, a new name is being added to my list that is so transcendent of the sport of college football that having his name blocked from even being considered may be one of the biggest Hall of Fame tragedies ever.

Former Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach, who unexpectedly passed away in December of 2022, won't even be considered for Hall of Fame inclusion.

Why? Because his career win percentage of .596 falls just four one-hundredths of a point shy of the required .600 to have your name even make the ballot as a coach.

This fact was known before the latest ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame was announced, yet many fans truly believed Leach would find his way on the list regardless of this minor statistical flaw.

When Mike Leach did not appear on the ballot, there was an outcry for an exception to be made for the beloved coach. Surely the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame could see their way clear to allowing a rather silly rule to be bent?

This week the "final" decision came down with an explanation from NFF president Steve Hatchell, via The Mercury News.

"If you don’t qualify under one of the criteria, it’s tough. We’ve heard every reason why we should look beyond why someone is not in the Hall of Fame. But at some point, you have to say, ‘These are the rules.'

“Mike was great to the National Football Foundation and the Hall of Fame. If we needed counsel on something, I’d call him. We love Mike and what he did for the sport. What he did for Texas Tech and Washington State was nothing short of phenomenal.

“But once you get wiggly on the criteria, what do you say doesn’t matter?”

Pish posh!

Once you get "wiggly" on the criteria? News flash for you, Mr. Hatchell, it's happened before.

It's not like this win percentage balderdash has been a steadfast rule for the entire existence of the College Football Hall of Fame. The hall's leadership has changed the criteria more than once over the years.

As of 2024, there are 32 coaches in the hall who's career win percentage falls below the currently-required .600, including the legendary Hayden Fry, who was induced in 2003 with a career win percentage of .564

Perhaps it's time for the Hall of Fame's board of directors to make another change, and remove "win percentage" from the list. It's an ambiguous stat and in many cases is not indicative of a coach's contributions to the game.

Full credit to the College Football Hall of Fame for actually having some criteria to become enshrined beyond just years of service, but at some point, the impact and substance of a player or coach have to be considered, particularly in a case like this where a premature death while still coaching is likely the sole reason a criterion wasn't met.

The game is different -- and better -- because of Mike Leach. There are players currently suiting up on Sundays in the NFL who otherwise may not have even had a shot if it weren't for Mike Leach. His career resume stacks up against nearly any coach currently in the CFB Hall of Fame (better than many of them). The number of legitimate reasons for his exclusion is simply zero.

There shouldn't even be a question or a discussion where Leach is concerned. The Hall of Fame leadership should have recognized as soon as Mike Leach passed away that they would need to adjust their rules so that he would be eligible for enshrinement.

They failed to act and now are left looking like a cold, unfeeling, and out-of-touch organization.

If the decision is reversed -- which will hopefully happen -- it will still feel like it was done out of pressure instead of out of love, awe, and respect for a man who innovated our sport and became one of the most beloved coaches to ever prowl the sideline or stand in front of a microphone.

With or without a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame, Mike Leach is a legend, and the failure of anyone to recognize that his greatness can't be measured by a statistic as incidental as win percentage should be seen as a reason to remove them from the Hall of Fame induction process.

Make a change, Steve Hatchell. It's been done before.