PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — On the plate-glass shelf in the office of the head coach of the Washington State football team stands a small reminder of what the late Mike Leach meant to the school.
In current head coach Jake Dickert’s office, a purple Washington State helmet hangs prominently, adorned with the famous Cougar logo in metallic gray and a pair of swashbuckling pirate swords beneath.
“I truly believe that Coach Leach has taught everyone here that they can believe again, and he has done it in his own unique Washington State way,” Dickert said.
Leach’s name and legacy will be part of history when Washington State and Texas Tech — the two schools most associated with the late coach — face off Saturday night. Although it’s not a weekend in the Palouse dedicated to Leach and the 10 seasons he coached at Texas Tech, followed by the 8 he spent with the Cougars, his story is an overarching part of the matchup.
Leach is part of the class being inducted into the Washington State Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend, in addition to the honor he already received from Texas Tech. His family is back in Pullman for the celebration and was honored during Friday night’s induction and again at Saturday’s game.
The weekend is also an opportunity to restore Leach’s place in the history of the game after he died almost two years ago while he was working as a coach at Mississippi State University, and whether he would eventually have a place in the College Football Hall of Fame.
“Coach Leach is, in my opinion and I think in the eyes of most people in this room, a Hall of Famer, hands down,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said during SEC media days. “He has shaped our game more than many people over the last 50 years, not only with his legacy but with his football skills.”
Technically, Leach is not yet eligible for retirement, said Steve Hatchell, president and CEO of National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame. Leach would have to be nominated by one of the schools where he coached — which appears to be a formality — and his last coaching stint must have been three years ago to be considered.
However, there is one area where the NFF will have to make a decision in the event of Leach’s possible candidacy.
Leach finished his career with a record of 158-107, a winning percentage of .596. According to the guidelines for induction into the Hall of Fame, coaches must have a winning percentage of .600 to be considered for balloting.
And it’s not that easy to just round up.
“It’s about more than just one person,” Hatchell said.
For Hatchell, the situation is personal, as he viewed Leach as a friend, someone the NFF could turn to when they needed advice about college football, and someone they could share book recommendations with.
And he’s someone who would have strong opinions about the state of college football in 2024.
“He was a great friend and you could ask him a lot of things. He didn’t just go with the flow. He was always very quick to tell us what was really helpful, whether this wasn’t working or that was working,” Hatchell said. “He could be a troublemaker, but if you want to stand up and speak vehemently about the good things about the game, you often need people who can give you really good self-reflection and Mike was one of those people.”
Hatchell expects the debate surrounding Leach to continue, especially because he was so close to the 60 percent win mark. It could be that all coaches with a .595 win percentage or better will eventually be placed on the ballot if they meet other requirements.
Saturday’s clash between his two former teams is just one moment when his name and influence will once again be in the spotlight. And even if he doesn’t end up in the Hall of Fame, his legacy is secure.
“Without Mike Leach, I wouldn’t be here with all of these things and this building,” Dickert said. “And I never met him in person, but the impact he had on football is something most coaches can only dream of.”
___
AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll And https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
