Opinion: Mike Leach Deserves to be in the College Football Hall of Fame

Revisiting the legacy of legendary head coach, Mike Leach, who changed the way we look at a lot of things, including football.

Mississippi State coach Mike Leach walks on the sideline before one of his team's games with the Bulldogs. / Jake Crandall / USA TODAY NETWORK

STARKVILLE, Miss. — College football has always felt different from professional football for various reasons: atmospheres, rivalries, and craziness. There's always been an authenticity in college sports, from the fans to the players and coaches, and it's always been rooted in larger-than-life figures who do not necessarily reach the top of the sport. 

The past three Heisman trophy winners did not win a national title, but all were game-changing players whose names will be remembered forever. That is part of the charm of college football; Dak Prescott never won a Southeastern Conference crown or a national title, yet he is a living legend in Starkville due to uniting a fanbase and taking the program to unprecedented heights. 

Winning a national title and making the college football playoff is an exclusive list that only specific programs will ever feel. We all get that. Still, it does not take away from the impact that guys like Johnny Manziel, Frank Beamer, Bill Snyder, and Robert Griffin III had on this beautiful sport. 

Regardless, out of all the characters this sport has ever seen and enjoyed, there is one who really stood out over the past couple of decades: Mike Leach. He was nicknamed "The Pirate," partly due to his love for outlaws, and his hilarious soundbites made him loved by fans everywhere. 

He was a man who said whatever he felt and held no punches, and did not give typical coach-speak answers. Leach was a true enigma, and despite all of his quirks, the football coach was hard-nosed and did not shy away from conflict. 

"As coaches, we failed to get through to them… we failed to make our coaching points more compelling than their fat little girlfriends. Now they have obvious advantages: for one thing, they tell them what they want to hear, which is how great they are," Leach once said after a Texas Tech loss to Texas A&M. 

Hidden behind all the quirky stories about which Pac-12 mascot would win in a free-for-all was a fiercely competitive coach. Leach and his long-time friend Hal Mumme developed an offense that revolutionized college football, and it was coined the "Air Raid." 

In a time when college football was dominated by teams that ran the football and relied on more physically talented players, Leach and Mumme decided to find an equalizer. The strategy was to throw the football, spread the field, and take advantage of open space. 

It more than paid off as the pair worked up the coaching ranks, eventually landing in the Southeastern Conference in Kentucky. Leach was only in Lexington for 22 games, but during his time, the Wildcats set six NCAA records, 22 SEC records, and 116 school records. 

Leach moved on to Oklahoma as an offensive coordinator under legendary head coach Bob Stoops. He was successful at Norman, and his quarterback was the current Tennessee head coach, Josh Heupel.

From there, Leach landed at Texas Tech and made it a horrible place for other teams to visit. His Air Raid offense took off in Lubbock, and four Red Raider quarterbacks threw their way into the top 50 of passing yards in a season in college football history: Kliff Kingsbury, B.J. Symons, Sonny Cumbie, and Graham Harrell. 

His time in Lubbock peaked on Nov. 1, 2008, as the No. 7 Red Raiders knocked off top-ranked Texas in a thrilling 39-33 victory. Harrell led a game-winning drive and threw a touchdown to Michael Crabtree, who scored with one-second remaining. 

Not only was it a highlight for Leach, but it's a game that lives in the infamy of college football. "The Pirate" became the winningest coach in Texas Tech history, as he finished with an 84-43 record, and was named national coach of the year in 2008 after an 11-2 season.

From Lubbock, Leach went to Washington State and once again was successful in a place where few thrived. He finished just 12-25 during his first three seasons, but in true Pirate style, he turned the ship around by going against the current. His final five seasons in Pullman saw the Cougars go 43-22. 

Once again, Leach was at the center of college football as he and Garner Minshew ran rampant and were eventually called "Minshew Mania." Minshew was a junior college quarterback who thought his career was over and nearly transferred to Alabama to begin working on becoming a coach, but he and Leach were a perfect match as they led Washington State to an 11-2 record in 2018.

Minshew (367.6) led the FBS in passing yards per game, and Leach landed another national Coach of the Year award. 

However, Leach had one more obstacle to overcome: being a head coach in the SEC. He arrived in Starkville in 2020, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the college football season was nearly called off.

Instead, it got off to a shocking start. With MSU opening against reigning national champion LSU, the Bulldogs pulled off a stunning 44-34 upset. Quarterback KJ Costello set the SEC record for yards in a game with 623 in the air and five touchdowns against the secondary that liked to call itself DBU.

The good times did not last, as State finished 4-7 during the all-SEC schedule. Will Rogers would be the starter for the next two seasons for State, and appropriately, he would break the school record with 12,315 career passing yards and finish second in league history. 

In his final season, he led the Bulldogs to an 8-4 regular season record and upset Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl in what would prove to be his final game. Leach finished his career with a .596 winning percentage, and the minimum required to reach the college football of fame is .600. 

There are countless reasons Leach should be in the Hall of Fame. His impact on football as a whole with his Air Raid offense is immense, as he made the college football offense focus more on passing the ball than running. 

The innovator worked with top offensive minds like Lincoln Riley, Kliff Kingsbury, and Sonny Dykes. His offense has been altered, as they all do, but it laid the foundation for a whole new kind of football.

And, of course, Leach represented everything that makes college football great. He was quirky, outspoken, brilliant, random, and fun as hell. 

Put him in.