Les Miles Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Les Miles
Biographical details
Miles in 2007
Born	(1953-11-10) November 10, 1953 (age 71) 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)
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)

Leslie Edwin Miles (born November 10, 1953) is a former American football coach. He was known for leading college football teams. He coached the Oklahoma State Cowboys from 2001 to 2004. After that, he coached the LSU Tigers from 2005 to 2016. His last coaching job was with the Kansas Jayhawks from 2019 to 2020.

Miles earned the nickname "the Hat" because he often wore a white cap during games. He was also called "the Mad Hatter" due to his unique and sometimes surprising play-calling decisions. Before becoming a head coach, he worked as an assistant coach for teams like the University of Michigan, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL). In 2007, Miles led the 2007 LSU Tigers football team to win the BCS National Championship Game. They defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes in that big game.

Early Life and Playing Days
Coaching Career Highlights
Controversies and Records
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Playing Days

Les Miles was born to Bubba and Martha Miles. In high school, he was an excellent lineman in football. He also earned awards in baseball and wrestling at Elyria High School in Ohio. He graduated in 1972.

From 1972 to 1975, Miles attended the University of Michigan. He played football there under coach Bo Schembechler.

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. There, he coached the offensive line.

Miles returned to Michigan in 1987 as the offensive line coach. He stayed there even after Schembechler retired in 1990. During his time as an assistant at Michigan, the team had many successful seasons. They played in the Rose Bowl four times. In 1995, Miles left Michigan and became the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State. From 1998 to 2000, he coached the tight ends for the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.

Leading the Oklahoma State Cowboys

Miles became the head coach at Oklahoma State in 2001. Before he arrived, the team had struggled. In his first year, they had a losing record. However, in the next three seasons, he led them to winning records. They played in three different bowl games during this time.

In 2001, his team faced the highly-ranked Oklahoma Sooners. Even though Oklahoma State was playing away from home, Miles led them to an exciting 16–13 victory. The next year, they again beat Oklahoma, this time 38–28. Because of his team's great performance, Miles was named the Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year in 2002.

Coaching the LSU Tigers

Miles coaching at LSU.

On January 2, 2005, Les Miles became the head football coach for Louisiana State University (LSU). His first season was challenging due to hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita caused games to be postponed or moved.

Despite these challenges, LSU had a great first season under Miles. They won the 2005 SEC Western Division title. They finished with a 10–1 regular season record. They won against several highly-ranked teams. LSU ended the season by winning the 2005 Peach Bowl against the #9 Miami Hurricanes. Miles finished his first year at LSU with an 11–2 record.

In 2006, LSU continued its success with a 10–2 record. They won their last six games. This was the first time in LSU history that the team had two straight seasons with 10 or more wins. LSU finished the 2006 season ranked #3 in the country after winning the Sugar Bowl.

Miles celebrates his team's victory in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game.

The 2007 season was very exciting for LSU. Miles became well-known for his unusual play calls during games. LSU was ranked #1 twice that season. They won the SEC title by beating Tennessee. On the same day, the #1 and #2 teams in the country both lost. This allowed LSU to move up to #2 in the rankings. LSU then played Ohio State in the BCS National Championship Game. LSU won 38–24, giving Miles his first national championship.

During the 2007 season, there were rumors that Miles might leave LSU to coach at the University of Michigan. Miles quickly told reporters that he was staying at LSU. He said, "I am the head coach at LSU. I will be the head coach at LSU. I have no interest in talking to anybody else." He kept his promise and stayed with the Tigers.

LSU continued to be a strong team under Miles. In 2010, they finished with an 11–2 record and won the Cotton Bowl. The 2011 season was also very successful. LSU went undefeated in the regular season, winning all 13 games. They beat Alabama in a famous overtime game. LSU then won the SEC Championship. They played Alabama again in the National Championship, but lost this time.

LSU had two more 10-win seasons in 2012 and 2013. In 2016, after a tough start to the season, Miles was no longer the head coach at LSU. He left as the second-winningest coach in the school's history.

Coaching the Kansas Jayhawks

In November 2018, Les Miles was hired as the head coach at the University of Kansas. In his first year, the team won 3 games and lost 9. They earned their first away win against a major conference team in many years. In the 2020 season, which was shorter due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kansas did not win any games.

Miles and Kansas decided to part ways in March 2021. This decision came after some concerns were raised about his past behavior while at LSU.

Controversies and Records

In 2013, a sports magazine published articles about Miles's time at Oklahoma State. These articles made claims about how the football program was run. Miles denied any wrongdoing.

LSU also looked into Miles's relationships with female students in 2013. The investigation found his behavior was not appropriate. As a result, LSU gave him a warning. They also put rules in place, like not allowing him to be alone with students.

In June 2023, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) announced that LSU would have to remove 37 wins from Miles's record. These wins were from the 2012 to 2015 seasons. This was due to a rule violation involving a player whose father received money from an LSU supporter. Because of these removed wins, Miles's total career record changed. He no longer met the requirement to be considered for the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2024, Miles filed a lawsuit against LSU, the NCAA, and the National Football Foundation because of these changes to his record.

Personal Life

Les Miles is married and has four children. He is known for balancing his coaching career with his family life. He has said he is a "strong Christian." His sons, Manny and Ben, both played football for him at Kansas.