Archie Manning said late Mississippi State head football coach Mike Leach will earn a place in the College Football Hall of Fame.
“I think Mike will be in the Hall of Fame, but it’ll be up to the Honor’s Committee,” Manning told Sports Illustrated.
The College Football Hall of Fame has five distinct guidelines for its potential player or coaching inductees to meet. Players like former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and former SMU running back Eric Dickerson are eligible 10 years after their career's end and if they have received first-team All American selections, among other rules.
Coaches like Mike Leach need to be three years removed from retirement unless they are 70 or older, have a minimum of 10 years as a head coach and have a .600 winning percentage for a potential spot in the Hall of Fame. Leach's .596 win percentage in 265 regular season games coached just barely didn't make the cut, leaving him ineligible for a spot in the Hall of Fame.
Archie Manning said a minor difference in percentage points shouldn't be an issue for the legendary Mississippi State head football coach's bid, a point echoed by President and CEO of the National Football Foundation Steve Hatchell.
“It’s different with Mike Leach,” Hatchell said. “There was something special about him.
“There isn't an organization that thinks more of Mike than ours. To say we thought the world of Mike Leach is putting it mildly. We have great respect for him. This goes way beyond the coach. He was a smart and shrewd guy with great insight on a lot of things.”
Mike Leach passed away at 61 years old in mid December. He was rushed to the hospital after suffering what was only described as a “personal health issue” in his home, which was later revealed to be a heart attack in his home in Starkville, Mississippi.
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