USC coach Lincoln Riley voiced his support for Mike Leach’s College Football Hall of Fame candidacy on Wednesday during Big Ten Media Days. Riley, who worked under Leach at Texas Tech from 2003-09, stated that the Hall of Fame “is simply not complete without Mike Leach.”
“Mike Leach meant a lot to my career, instrumental in my upbringing,” Riley said. “I know there’s been a lot of debate and talk about him belonging in the College Football Hall of Fame. I certainly want to voice my support for that happening. That’s something that’s very important to me.”
The College Football Hall of Fame criteria require coaches to have at least a .600 winning percentage for consideration. Though this rule has been in place since 1951, exceptions have been made over the years. Leach passed away in 2022 with a career winning percentage of 59.6% after coaching at Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State.
Riley started his coaching career as a student assistant under Leach in 2003 before advancing to a graduate assistant and eventually a position coach at Texas Tech. Later, as an offensive coordinator at East Carolina and Oklahoma, he incorporated many elements of Leach’s innovative Air Raid offense into his own system.
“He changed the game and changed a lot of people’s lives, mine included,” Riley said.
Riley is one of many influential football figures advocating for Leach’s inclusion in the College Football Hall of Fame. Among those who have also used conference media day events to support Leach’s candidacy is Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, who made a case for Leach during his opening statement at SEC Media Days last week.
“We need to put his name on the ballot,” Drinkwitz said. “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.”