When Washington State and Texas Tech meet, Mike Leach’s legacy will be on display

PULLMAN, Wash. — On the mirrored glass shelf in the Washington State University head football coach’s office sits a small reminder of what the late Mike Leach meant to the school.

Prominently displayed at current head coach Jake Dickert’s workplace is a red Washington State helmet, featuring the famous Cougar head logo in metallic gray and a pair of swaggering pirate swords underneath.

“I truly believe that Coach Leach has taught everyone here that they can believe again and he’s done it in his 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 — meet Saturday night. While it’s not a Palouse weekend dedicated to Leach and the 10 seasons he coached at Texas Tech followed by the eight seasons he spent with the Cougars, his story is a huge part of the showdown.

Leach is part of the class that will be inducted into the Washington State Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend, joining the class he was previously inducted into from Texas Tech. His family is back in Pullman for the celebration and was honored at the induction Friday night and again at Saturday’s game.

The weekend is also an opportunity to revive Leach’s overall place in the game’s history after his death nearly two years ago while coaching at Mississippi State, and to learn whether he will ultimately find a place in the College Football Hall of Fame.

“Coach Leach, in my mind and most people in this room, is definitely a Hall of Famer,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said at SEC media days. “He’s had more of an impact on our game over the last 50 years than a lot of other people, not only in his legacy but in his football acumen.”

Technically, Leach is not yet eligible for induction, according to Steve Hatchell, president and CEO of the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame. Leach would have to be nominated by one of the schools where he coached — which seems like a formality — and be three years younger than the last time he coached to be considered.

But there is one area where Leach’s potential candidacy will force the NFF to make a decision.

Leach finished his career with a 158-107 record, a .596 winning percentage. According to the Hall of Fame guidelines, coaches must have a .600 winning percentage to be considered for inclusion on the ballot.

And it’s not as simple as rounding.

“It’s bigger than just one person,” Hatchell said.

The situation is personal for Hatchell because he considered Leach a friend, someone the NFF would turn to for college football advice and someone with whom he would exchange book suggestions.

And he’s someone who would give his opinion on the state of college football in 2024.

“He was a great friend and you could ask him a lot of questions. He didn’t let things get to him. He would tell you very quickly, which helped a lot, if it wasn’t working or if it was working,” Hatchell said. “He could be a contrarian, but a lot of times if you want to be resilient and aggressive about the positives of the game, you need people who can give you a good bit of introspection and Mike did.”

Hatchell expects the debate over Leach to continue, especially because he was so close to the 60 percent winning percentage mark. It could be that all coaches with a winning percentage of .595 or higher will eventually be considered for inclusion in the ballot if they meet other requirements.

Saturday’s game between his two former teams is just one of the moments his name and impact will once again be in the spotlight. And even if he isn’t added to the Hall of Fame in the future, his legacy is assured.

“I wouldn’t be here with all this and this building if it wasn’t for Mike Leach,” Dickert said. “And I never met him personally, but the impact he had on the game of football, I think most coaches can only dream of that.”