Mike Leach's Former Assistant Sonny Dykes Pushes for Legendary Coach to Get in HOF
TCU Head Coach Sonny Dykes Mike Leach Belongs In Hall of Fame
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A new rule change has made Mike Leach suddenly eligible for the Hall of Fame ... and Sonny Dykes -- one of his former assistants -- tells TMZ Sports he sure hopes "The Pirate" will now soon be dubbed an HOFer.
The regulation reviser came last month, when the College Football Hall of Fame decided to reduce the career win percentage required for eligibility from 60% to 59.5%.
Leach, of course, held a 59.6 winning percentage prior to his death in December 2022.
Even before the change was made, though, many felt Leach was deserving of the recognition. He worked under Hal Mumme at Wesleyan College, Valdosta State and Kentucky, and was a key figure in the reinvention and perfection of the Air Raid offense ... a style of play which generally eschews the running game in favor of passing plays.
And when we talked to Dykes this week about Leach's HOF candidacy, he was sure to point out all of that.
"What he did was probably as influential as anything anybody has done in a very long time in college football," said Dykes, the current TCU head coach who learned from Leach at Kentucky for a year and then at Texas Tech for seven.
Leach finished his historic run with a 158-107 record and went to 17 bowl games over 21 seasons, resurrecting Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State along the way ... things that all impressed Dykes, to say the least.
"He had success at places that are difficult historically to have success at," said Dykes, who also praised Leach for the way he empowered his players.
Yet what made Leach a different kind of football icon was his comedic personality
off the field. His detailing which Pac-12 mascot would win in a fight is unforgettable ... as were almost all of his press conferences. He was also well-known for trying whatever he wanted, both on and off the field.
As a lesser-known Leach story goes, he was visiting New York in 2004 when he decided he wanted to talk to Donald Trump, who wasn't quite as controversial back then, as he stuck to his real estate business and "The Apprentice." Only problem: Leach and Trump didn't know each other. After leaving a message on Trump's phone, he later received a call from the tycoon during a staff meeting, and they went on to become friends.
"He would try anything, do anything, wasn't afraid of being told no," Dykes said of Leach. "Just was one of those guys that kind of lived life on his terms. That's what made him so much fun to be around."
