There is no denying what the late head coach Mike Leach meant to the game of football. He changed the way offenses are played, with his “Air Raid” offenses wreaking havoc on defenses. His time at Texas Tech was special following the retirement of the legendary Spike Dykes.
Leach was unceremoniously fired at the tail end of the 2009 season, bringing a decade of the Pirate to an end, but what he did in that time hasn’t been forgotten. The Pirate became the all-time winningest coach in Texas Tech history with the 84-43 overall record and 47-33 in Big 12 play. Leach never had an overall losing record with Tech and only failed to win at least half of conference games in his first season.
Without Mike Leach, the playing careers of Kliff Kingsbury, BJ Symons, and Graham Harrell might not have been the same. Year in and year out, the Red Raiders had a chance because of what the Texas Tech Hall of Honor member did for the program.
For the first time, Mike Leach is on the ballot for the NFF College Football Hall of Fame. Previously, a head coach would need a winning percentage of 60 percent to qualify for the ballot. However, the NFF changed that requirement to 59.5% to allow Leach to be eligible. His head coach winning percentage sits at 59.6%
Leach is joined on the ballot by three other former Texas Tech head coaches.
Jim Carlen coached at Texas Tech from 1970 to 1974, leading the Red Raiders to a 37-20-2 record. Carlen’s Red Raiders appeared in four bowls in five years, missing in 1971 when the team was 4-7. His bowl record was 1-2-1.
Pete Cawthon Sr. coached the Red Raiders for 11 seasons, leading Tech to four Border Conference titles and a berth in the Cotton Bowl after a 10-0 regular season finish in 1938. Cawthon finished with a 67-23 record.
Tommy Tuberville is the most unpopular head coach of the group among Red Raider fans. He is best known for leaving in the middle of a recruiting dinner to take a job with the Cincinnati Bearcats, prompting Texas Tech to hire Kliff Kingsbury as his replacement. Tuberville coached Tech for three seasons, finishing 20-17 and 1-0 in his lone bowl appearance. Overall, the former Red Raider head coach was 159-99 with stops at Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Cincinnati.
Check out the full ballot from the National Football Foundation.
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This article originally appeared on Red Raiders Wire: Texas Tech legend Mike Leach is finally on the Hall of Fame ballot
Reporting by Patrick Conn, Red Raiders Wire / Red Raiders Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
