Hall of Fame Alters Coach Win Requirement

The National Football Foundation has lowered the College Football Hall of Fame's minimum career winning percentage requirement for coaches from 60% to 59.5%, effective with the 2027 ballot. This change makes the late Mike Leach, who posted a .596 winning percentage over 21 seasons at Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State, newly eligible for induction. Leach, celebrated for popularizing the Air Raid offense, was previously excluded for narrowly missing the old threshold. The adjustment has been widely welcomed as overdue recognition of Leach’s impact, though debate continues about the criteria and other coaches still left out. All other eligibility requirements, such as a minimum of 10 years as head coach and 100 games coached, remain unchanged. Leach’s posthumous eligibility has renewed discussion about how the Hall of Fame values statistical achievement versus broader contributions.