Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers former quarterback Joe Montana cheers in the first quarter in Super Bowl LVIII against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

With Mike Leach Now Eligible, Should Joe Montana Be Next in the Hall?

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated May 29, 2025 2:03 PM ET

Along with kickoff times being announced for several games nationally Thursday, big news in the college football world was a change of rules regarding the College Football Hall of Fame. Coaches will no longer have to have won 60% of their games to be eligible, instead that number dibs to 59.5% and will allow former Texas Tech, Washington State, and Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach to be eligible.

That's great for Leach's family and fans of the programs he coached at. I think he should be in for what he did to offenses in college football and how he forever changed the game, regardless of his win-loss percentage. But the Leach case makes me wonder about a Notre Dame legend that doesn't meet current Hall of Fame requirements.

Long before Tom Brady ever led a playoff comeback for the New England Patriots, Joe Montana was busy doing the same thing for the San Francisco 49ers, en-route to four Super Bowl championships. And before doing that, Montana spent his college career climbing the depth chart at Notre Dame before guiding the Fighting Irish to a national championship and ending his college career with an all-time comeback victory in the Cotton Bowl.

Yet, you'll never see Joe Montana enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

In order to be considered as a player for the College Football Hall of Fame, one must have received major first-team All-America recognition, and Montana did not. Instead, the likes of Chuck Fusina (Penn State), Rick Leach (Michigan), and Jack Thompson (Washington State) took home those honors during Montana's time at Notre Dame.

Professional careers aren't taken into account for College Football Hall of Fame enshrinement and nor should they be. There are players at every program who are integral in telling the history of the sport but aren't eligible to get in because of this rule.

Again, Thursday's news is great for Leach, but the College Football Hall of Fame's structural rules instead make it one of the more confusing sports Halls of Fame.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: