Les Miles facts for kids
Miles in 2007
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 10, 1953 Elyria, Ohio, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1972–1975 | Michigan |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1980–1981 | Michigan (GA) |
| 1982–1986 | Colorado (OL) |
| 1987–1994 | Michigan (OL) |
| 1995–1997 | Oklahoma State (OC/OL) |
| 1998–2000 | Dallas Cowboys (TE) |
| 2001–2004 | Oklahoma State |
| 2005–2016 | LSU |
| 2019–2020 | Kansas |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 108–73 |
| Bowls | 6–6 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 national (2007) 2 SEC (2007, 2011) 3 SEC Western Division (2005, 2007, 2011) |
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| Awards | |
| Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award (2011) Home Depot Coach of the Year Award (2011) Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year Award (2011) AFCA FBS Coach of the Year (2011) Walter Camp Coach of the Year (2011) |
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Leslie Edwin Miles (born November 10, 1953) is a former American football coach. He is known for coaching the Oklahoma State Cowboys (2001–2004) and the LSU Tigers (2005–2016). His last coaching job was with the Kansas Jayhawks from 2019 to 2020. People often called him "the Hat" because of his white cap, and "the Mad Hatter" for his unique personality and surprising play calls during games. Miles led the LSU Tigers to win the national championship in 2007, where they beat Ohio State. Before becoming a head coach, he was an assistant coach for several teams, including the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL).
Early Life and Playing Days
Les Miles was born to Bubba and Martha Miles. He grew up in Elyria, Ohio. In high school, he was a talented lineman in football. He also played baseball and was on the wrestling team. He graduated from Elyria High School in 1972.
After high school, Miles went to the University of Michigan. He played football there from 1972 to 1975 under famous coach Bo Schembechler. He earned special recognition for his play in 1974 and 1975.
Coaching Career Highlights
Starting as a Coach
In 1980, Les Miles began his coaching career at Michigan. He worked as a graduate assistant under his former coach, Bo Schembechler. In 1982, he moved to the University of Colorado to coach the offensive line. Interestingly, another future LSU coach, Gerry DiNardo, was also an assistant there at the same time.
Miles returned to Michigan in 1987 to coach the offensive line again. He stayed there even after Schembechler retired in 1990. During his time as an assistant coach at Michigan, the team had many successful seasons. They went to the Rose Bowl four times. In 1995, Miles left Michigan and became the offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. From 1998 to 2000, he coached the tight ends for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.
Oklahoma State Head Coach
In 2001, Miles became the head coach at Oklahoma State. Before he arrived, the team had struggled. In his first year, they had a losing record. However, in his next three seasons, the Cowboys had winning records: 8–5, 9–4, and 7–5. These successful seasons led them to play in three different bowl games.
One of Miles's most memorable moments at Oklahoma State was beating the #4 ranked Oklahoma Sooners in his first season. The next year, his team upset the #3 ranked Oklahoma Sooners again. Because of his team's great performance in 2002, Miles was named the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year.
LSU Head Coach
On January 2, 2005, Les Miles became the head football coach for Louisiana State University (LSU). His first season at LSU was challenging due to Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. These storms caused games to be postponed or moved.
Despite the challenges, LSU had a fantastic first season under Miles in 2005. They won the SEC Western Division title with a 10–1 regular season record. They beat several highly ranked teams, including #15 Arizona State and #4 Alabama. LSU finished the season with an 11–2 record and a high national ranking.
In 2006, LSU continued its success, finishing with a 10–2 record. This was the first time in LSU history that the team had two straight seasons with 10 or more wins. They played tough games against top-ranked teams and ended the season by beating Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl. LSU finished the 2006 season ranked #3 in the country.
The 2007 season was a big one for Miles and LSU. He became known for making bold and unexpected play calls during games. LSU was ranked #1 twice that season. Even though they lost two close games late in the season, they still made it to the SEC Championship. On the day of the SEC Championship, there were rumors that Miles would leave LSU to coach at Michigan. However, Miles quickly confirmed that he would stay at LSU. LSU went on to win the SEC title, beating Tennessee.
After winning the SEC, LSU was ranked #2 nationally. They then played Ohio State in the BCS National Championship Game. LSU won 38–24, giving Les Miles his first national championship and LSU its third ever.
Miles continued to lead LSU to strong seasons, including an 11–2 record in 2010. In 2011, LSU had an amazing 13–0 regular season, including a famous 9–6 overtime win against Alabama. They won the SEC Championship and played Alabama again in the National Championship. However, Alabama won that game 21–0.
After the 2011 season, LSU had two more 10-win seasons in 2012 and 2013. In 2015, there were rumors that Miles might be fired after a tough losing streak. But after a win against Texas A&M, the school announced he would stay. However, in September 2016, LSU decided to let Miles go after a 2–2 start to the season. Miles left LSU as the second-winningest coach in the school's history.
Kansas Head Coach
On November 18, 2018, Les Miles was hired as the head coach at the University of Kansas. He signed a five-year contract. In his first year, the team finished with a 3–9 record. They earned a significant road win against Boston College, which was their first such win in many games.
In the 2020 season, which was shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kansas did not win any games, finishing 0–9. This was the third time in the school's history that the Jayhawks went winless.
In March 2021, Miles was placed on leave due to an investigation into his conduct while he was coaching at LSU. Soon after, Miles and Kansas agreed to part ways. The university's athletic director stated that Miles had assured him there was nothing in his past that could cause problems for the university.
Personal Life
Les Miles is married and has four children. He is known for balancing his demanding job as a football coach with his family life. He is also a "strong Christian" and is involved in churches with his family. In 2018, he was part of a Dos Equis ad campaign that showed his unusual habit of eating grass from the playing field. His sons, Manny and Ben, both played football for him at Kansas.
Head Coaching Record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma State Cowboys (Big 12 Conference) (2001–2004) | |||||||||
| 2001 | Oklahoma State | 4–7 | 2–6 | 5th (South) | |||||
| 2002 | Oklahoma State | 8–5 | 5–3 | T–3rd (South) | W Houston | ||||
| 2003 | Oklahoma State | 9–4 | 5–3 | 3rd (South) | L Cotton | ||||
| 2004 | Oklahoma State | 7–5 | 4–4 | 5th (South) | L Alamo | ||||
| Oklahoma State: | 28–21 | 16–16 | |||||||
| LSU Tigers (Southeastern Conference) (2005–2016) | |||||||||
| 2005 | LSU | 11–2 | 7–1 | T–1st (Western) | W Peach | 5 | 6 | ||
| 2006 | LSU | 11–2 | 6–2 | T–2nd (Western) | W Sugar† | 3 | 3 | ||
| 2007 | LSU | 12–2 | 6–2 | 1st (Western) | W BCS NCG† | 1 | 1 | ||
| 2008 | LSU | 8–5 | 3–5 | 3rd (Western) | W Chick-fil-A | ||||
| 2009 | LSU | 9–4 | 5–3 | 2nd (Western) | L Capital One | 17 | 17 | ||
| 2010 | LSU | 11–2 | 6–2 | T–2nd (Western) | W Cotton | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2011 | LSU | 13–1 | 8–0 | 1st (Western) | L BCS NCG† | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2012 | LSU | 0–3 | 0–2 | T–2nd (Western) | L Chick-fil-A | 12 | 13 | ||
| 2013 | LSU | 0–3 | 0–3 | 3rd (Western) | V Outback | 14 | 14 | ||
| 2014 | LSU | 0–5 | 0–4 | T–4th (Western) | L Music City | ||||
| 2015 | LSU | 0–3 | 0–3 | T–3rd (Western) | V Texas | 17 | 16 | ||
| 2016 | LSU | 2–2 | 1–1 | ||||||
| LSU: | 77–34 | 42–28 | |||||||
| Kansas Jayhawks (Big 12 Conference) (2019–2020) | |||||||||
| 2019 | Kansas | 3–9 | 1–8 | 10th | |||||
| 2020 | Kansas | 0–9 | 0–8 | 10th | |||||
| Kansas: | 3–18 | 1–16 | |||||||
| Total: | 108–73 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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See also
In Spanish: Les Miles para niños
