06/01/26 11:05:00
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06/01 10:51 CDT Offensive mastermind Mike Leach, who died in 2022, heads ballot
for College Football Hall of Fame
Offensive mastermind Mike Leach, who died in 2022, heads ballot for College
Football Hall of Fame
By ERIC OLSON
AP College Football Writer
Mike Leach, the eccentric and revolutionary offensive savant whose teams set
dozens of scoring and passing records over his 21-year head coaching career, is
among the nominees for the 2027 College Football Hall of Fame class.
The National Football Foundation released the ballot Monday for the class that
will be announced in January. It includes 80 players and nine coaches from the
Football Bowl Subdivision and 99 players and 39 coaches from lower levels.
A player is eligible 10 full seasons after his last year in college and must
have received first-team All-America honors by a major selector. The nominee's
college football achievements are a prime consideration, but his post-football
record as a citizen also is a factor.
Leach, who died in 2022 at age 61, became eligible for induction under adjusted
criteria for coaches to be considered. The NFF announced last year the minimum
career winning percentage required would go from .600 to .595 beginning in 2027.
Leach had a .596 winning percentage with a 158-107 record at Texas Tech,
Washington State and Mississippi State.
Leach was known for his innovative wide-open offenses and his knack for pulling
upsets. He won 18 games against Top 25 opponents when his team was unranked.
Among other FBS coaches on the ballot are Larry Coker, whose Miami team won the
2001 season's national championship; Dennis Franchione, who made stops at TCU,
Alabama and Texas A&M; Ralph Friedgen, who led Maryland to bowls in seven of
his 10 seasons; Darryl Rogers, 1977 Big Ten coach of the year at Michigan
State; Jackie Sherrill, all-time wins leader at Mississippi State; and Tommy
Tuberville, who led powerful Auburn teams of the 2000s.
Heisman Trophy winners Cam Newton of Auburn (2010) and Robert Griffin III of
Baylor (2011) are on the ballot along with first-time nominees Tavon Austin of
West Virginia, Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin, A.J. Hawk of Ohio State and Barrett
Jones of Alabama.
Nominees go through a screening process to assure they meet eligibility
criteria before a vote is taken among members of the NFF and Football Writers
Association of America. Voting results are sent to the NFF Honors Court, which
makes final selections.
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