Les Miles Interview - Sept. '04 | TigerFan.com

bigbully · Jan 3, 2005

Here's a short interview of Les Miles:

http://www.ocolly.com/new_ocollycom/football/show_story.php?a_id=23074

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]The clutch performance[/font]
[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Les Miles[/font]

[font=Verdana, sans-serif]Tim Landes
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[font=Verdana, sans-serif]TL: What’s the best part of coaching?

LM: The relationships with the guys; the players, the coaches. The enjoyment of our lives.

TL: What’s the toughest part?

LM: Injuries because they try so hard and work so long and they inspire excellence. When they finish, that kinda hurts.

TL: You’ve had a lot of great players play under you as an assistant or a head coach. Who’s been the best player you have ever coached?

LM: There are a lot of name guys I was around. I was around a Heisman trophy winner at Michigan and I was around a number of All-Americans. At the (Dallas) Cowboys I was around a lot of guys. But I had a player of mine come to see us play at the Rose Bowl. His name is Dean Dingman. He’s an All-American guard who was drafted into the NFL, blew his knee out. He was a 6-foot-3-inch, 280 pound offensive guard, real fast, really strong. His interpretation of the game was really special. He was a tremendous college player.

TL: Is there any possibilty that we’ll ever see Les Miles as a head coach in the NFL?

LM: No. I think I’ll be right here for as long as they’ll have me.

TL: Do you really know the words to the “Alma Mater?”

LM: I do. “Proud and immortal, bright shines your names.” I can do it all. (laughs)

TL: Players have interesting pre-game rituals. We’ve heard about Morency’s all week. Do you have any?

LM: On home games, I take my boys to the hotel with me. I check the team in and they get the room by themselves. When I get back in there, generally the snacks are eaten and there’s something on the T.V. that there shouldn’t be. It’s kind of a boys night out.

TL: Describe success.

LM: Success is all in relation to what you’re after. There are constant small successes. The small ones certainly lead to the big ones. I think success is very relative. Especially when you graduate a class, win, have a great year. There is satisfaction taken by the coaching staff and the school. Certainly, I share in that.

TL: Fast forward to the future when you’re son is getting recruitment letters to play football. What coach would you want him to play for?

LM: He’s gonna play for me. No question.

TL: The Big 10 has implemented instant replay from the booth. Do you think the Big 12 should do the same thing?

LM: I think there are real positives with the replay, but it’s all in how you implement it and that it’s not a distraction to a good officiating crew, who are doing a great job.

TL: Can you possibly have too much depth at quarterback?

LM: Well I’m absolutely certain you can, but we’re not there yet.

TL: What kind of music fires you up?

LM: (laughs) I have always enjoyed Toby Keith. I mean, I hate to tell you that. It fires me up. “The Angry American” he won not only me, but my family and everybody else. My son Ben can sing every lyric of that song at six, but did it even better at five.

TL: When you were younger, what concerts did you go to?

LM: Oh yeah. I’ll tell you right now, I really enjoyed the Stones. That was a great concert at Cleveland Stadium. I enjoyed it a lot.

TL: What is bigger; winning at the Rose Bowl or getting hugged by Gary Busey?

LM: (laughs hard) I think winning at the Rose Bowl seriously. (laughs) I felt like we were gonna win. I didn’t know I was gonna get hugged by Gary Busey.

TL: So it was kinda like being given a trophy.

LM: It wasn’t anything like being given a trophy. Trust me.
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philter · Jan 3, 2005

I read that the other day, the funniest part was when he basically admitted that his boys watch pr0n in the hotel room.

bigbully · Jan 3, 2005

exactly what I thought! lol

MarineTiger · Jan 4, 2005

Whatever gets the players "up" for the game