The Mad Hatter

For some, football is merely just a game.  A game played between two different teams on a grassy field with four fifteen minute quarters.  However, for others football is more than just x’s and o’s, it is a way of life.  The athletes that play the game give their blood and sweat every week to be the best they can possibly be.  Not only do the players give their all, but the coaches play a vital role in molding the young men not only into exceptional athletes but men of character.  A coach in college football that meets and upholds the criteria of an outstanding mentor is Les Miles.

Born and raised in the buckeye state of Ohio, Les Miles lived and breathed the game of football.  He played on the offensive line at Elyria High School in which he received all-state honors.  After graduating high school, Les crossed state lines to attended the University of Michigan and was a very successful player also earning a two-year letterman in 1974 and 1975.  After graduating from Michigan, Miles decided to stay put and began his coaching career as an assistant.  Miles left Michigan after two years to coach the offensive line at the University of Colorado.  After numerous job landings at Colorado, then back as assistant coach at Michigan to Oklahoma State, to the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, Les would finally get his shot as head coach.

Given the title “head coach” is something of prestige in itself.  Being able to call a team your very own and give the final word is a huge responsibility.  Coach Miles has worked incredibly hard and valiantly as an assistant and his first ever coaching job started in Stillwater, Oklahoma on the campus of Oklahoma State University.  Miles was hired in 2001 and quickly hit the ground running.  The first year was tough, with a season ending record of 4-7, however, every coach and team faces adversity and Les Miles would so change the challenge into success.  The next season OSU finished 8-5 with a bowl game victory.  The momentum carried into the next fall season, with the Cowboys finishing the season 9-4 with a Cotton Bowl appearance.  The following season was tough after numerous starters left the team leaving the coaches to make rebuilding decisions, though the Cowboys finished 7-5 with a trip to the Alamo Bowl.  After the 2004 season Les Miles would receive a call that would eventually change his life for ever.

Great leaders make decisions in times of hardships and uncertainty that construct the framework of success.  Coach Miles knew the time was right and knew the decision was to be promptly made take the head coaching vacancy at Louisiana State University.  After becoming head coach on January 3, 2005, Les has revitalized, and also made LSU a powerhouse football program known around the country and especially felt in the Southeastern Conference.  Since, being hired in 2005, coach and his teams have accumulated eighty-two wins and only twenty losses.  Including a National Championship in 2007, numerous top ten recruiting classes, seven bowl appearances, clinching three Southeastern Conference Western Division Titles, and two Southeastern Conference Championships.  Coach Miles has only been at LSU for eight years and in that small length of time has shattered school records and does not seem to be going anywhere any time soon.

Coaches are father figures both on the sidelines and after the clock reaches zero.  Sure their job is mainly to recruit players to build teams and win games, but being a leader is more than just winning.  A leader is one who inspires others to be the best at what they do.  Coaches are mentor and heroes to many players and also the men and women they surround themselves by.  Having the integrity and strength to be able to stand up for what is right shows true character.  Les Miles is a coach that will always be remembered not only for what he has accomplished on the field but also what he has shaped the men and women into off the field.



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