Mississippi State football's representatives will be in Dallas tomorrow for 2024 SEC Media Days to preview the season ahead, but one SEC coach took time out of his media session to show his support for a former Bulldog head coach.
During his opening statement, Missouri Tigers head football coach Eliah Drinkwitz advocated for former Mississippi State coach and football legend Mike Leach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
In 2025, SEC Media Days will be held in Atlanta at the College Football Hall of Fame, which according to Drinkwitz, served as a reminder to call upon CEO Steve Hatchell to nominate the late Mike Leach for induction.
"The Hall of Fame is incomplete without Coach Mike Leach in it."@CoachDrinkwitz makes the case to put Mike Leach into the College Football Hall of Fame ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ZTxJ3TQ4xK
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) July 16, 2024
""Coach Leach, in my mind, and I believe in most of the people in this room, is a no-doubt Hall-of-Famer. He impacted our game more in the last 50 years than a lot of other people, not only with his legacy, but also with his football acumen. His Air Raid offense is the dominate offense when you look at high school football, its elements in college football, and all the way translating into the NFL game...I understand that standards are there for people to make decisions, but I also understand that Coach Leach would be a great value to the Hall of Fame...And I hope that Mr. Hatchell will recognize that as CEO he has the ability to utilize his discretion to make the obvious into reality, and that obvious is that the Hall of Fame is incomplete without Coach Mike Leach in it.""Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri Tigers HC
The College Football Hall of Fame requires coaching candidates to have finished their career with at least a .600 winning percentage to be eligible for induction. At the time of Mike Leach's death, his winning percentage was .596, just one win short of being eligible.
Despite Leach's immeasurable impact on the game of football and coaching success, the Hall of Fame has not yet seemed willing to budge on on their entrance requirements, even with college football media and fans overwhelming support for Leach's induction.
There's no doubt that Mike Leach deserves to be in the College Football Hall of Fame. Hopefully this recent advocacy urges selectors to come to their senses.