Mike Leach: "Mike Leach changed the game of football" - Texas Tech's Joey McGuire gets emotional on legendary HC's inclusion in Hall of Fame

Texas Tech head football coach Joey McGuire is thrilled that Mike Leach is finally eligible for the Hall of Fame.

ESPN's Pete Thamel shared via X on Tuesday McGuire's emotional comments, praising "The Pirate" for his contributions to the game, suggesting a Hall of Fame without Leach leaves its integrity to be questioned.

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"There are very few coaches that have changed the game.... I'm so excited that Mike Leach is now eligible for the Hall of Fame because you start questioning a Hall of Fame if Mike Leach is not in it, because Mike Leach changed the game of football."

Leach became the winningest coach in Texas Tech history during his time with the program from 2000 to 2009. He took home Big 12 Coach of the Year honors in 2008 in the midst of his run, before departing and eventually serving as the coach for Washington State in 2012. Leach continued his winning ways with Washington, becoming the third-most-winning coach in the team's history.

That run also earned him two Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards in 2015 and 2018. Mike Leach remained with Washington until 2019, signing on to be the new coach of Mississippi State in 2020, where he remained until his death in 2022 at the age of 61. Leach passed due to complications from a heart condition, as explained by Mississippi State in an official statement following his passing.

Joey McGuire looks to honor Mike Leach's legacy at Texas Tech in 2025

Syndication: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal - Source: Imagn

Joey McGuire took over head coaching responsibilities at Texas Tech back in 2022. He's managed to string together winning records in each of his three seasons leading the program.

McGuire led the Red Raiders to bowl games in each of his first three seasons, suffering his first postseason loss in the 2024 Liberty Bowl, where Texas Tech fell to Arkansas.

Texas Tech finished the 2024 season with a record of 8-5 but finished the year unranked. McGuire is hoping they can leap in 2025, earning a ranked position and potentially challenging for a playoff spot. This could be the program's first step in winning its first-ever national championship on the gridiron.

The Texas Tech Red Raiders will kick off their 2025 season against AR-Pine Bluff on August 30.

About the author

Jon-Anthony Fuentes is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over nine years of experience in the field with publications such as LowKickMMA.

His favorite team is the Texas Longhorns, and their winning the national championship over USC in 2006 fuelled his fandom.

Jon's favorite players include Johnny Manziel, Tahj Boyd, Deshaun Watson, DeAndre Hopkins and Colt McCoy. They were all childhood heroes for Jon and while it didn't work out in the NFL for all of them, what they achieved in college cannot be understated.

When not watching or writing about football, Jon enjoys playing sports and computer games.

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Edited by Alvin Amansec