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Lots of great background info on Miles

Discussion in 'The Tiger's Den' started by philter, Jun 2, 2005.

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philter Founding Member

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This is a repost I believe, of a story I read either here or maybe on another site, but it's got so much great info packed into it that it's worth spreading again.

Rooted sensibilities
JIMMIE TRAMEL
08/05/2001
Tulsa World (FH Edition), Page B1 of SPORTS

A solid family upbringing turned OSU's LES MILES into a protector of the
underdog and a dedicated football coach.

Here's what most people know about new Oklahoma State
head football coach LES MILES: He's a former OSU offensive
coordinator. He coached tight ends for the Dallas Cowboys.

Here's what most people don't know about Miles:
Everything else.

So, where do we start?

Miles was raised in Elyria, Ohio, hometown of 1950
Heisman Trophy winner Vic Janowicz. Elyria High School,
which lost one football game in Miles' three varsity
seasons, is located on 311 Vic Janowicz Drive.

Miles told childhood buddies he wanted to be the next
Johnny Carson. He wanted to have his own television show.
The LES MILES Show debuts this fall and it will feature OSU
replays instead of monologues and celebrity guests.

Miles was too hip to be square. He was a high school
senior in 1972, when questioning authority was in vogue.
Many teen boys had Three Dog Night hair. Miles sported a
throwback buzz cut. Many kids tend to get red-faced when
parents visit school. But when Miles' dad showed up at
school, Les gave him hugs and kisses, never mind who was
watching.

Miles is a big movie buff, dating all the way back to
when his dad used to take the family to the drive-in for
John Wayne-Elvis Presley double features. Miles doesn't
have time for many movies during football season, but he
spends more time watching flicks during the summer than
Roger Ebert. "Remember the Titans" is a current family
favorite.

Miles was such a curious kid that his mom wrote down all
of his questions and made weekly trips to the library to
find answers. Where does electricity come from? Why can't
you build an elevator to outer space? Why can't we put
feathers on our arms and fly? Once, following a Marilyn
Monroe movie, he asked his dad this question: "With her in
the world, how could you marry mom?"

Miles is married to a former assistant basketball coach
at Michigan.

They almost didn't hook up because of a first-date
misunderstanding.

Both thought they got stood up. Former Michigan
assistant Cam Cameron, now head coach at Indiana, mediated
a cold war that followed and managed to set things right.

Miles once wriggled his way onto the field following a
Cleveland Browns home game and vowed never to wash his hand
after getting a handshake from Jim Brown.

Miles hates to be bored, has to be doing something all
of the time and loves to entertain. To break up the
monotony of high school bus rides, Miles and his teammates
took turns entertaining. Some told jokes. Miles danced up
and down the aisles and concluded his routine with what
became known as the "triple tripod." He balanced himself
above two seats, raised one leg to the bus ceiling and
threw out his arms in ballerina fashion.

What teammates didn't know is Miles was a trained
dancer. He loved football so much, says sister AnnHope
Browne, that he secretly took ballet classes as a pre-teen,
believing ballet would help him become a better football
player.

Miles also gave up basketball and became a wrestler when
he was in junior high because he became convinced that
wrestling would strengthen his body for football. There is
a conflicting story circulating that Miles gave up
basketball because he allegedly pulled a Roy Riegels. Miles
came up with a steal, but lost his compass and shot at the
wrong basket. He missed a layup and an opponent rebounded
it for a put-back. According to those who relayed the
story, Miles then high-fived the opponent because he
thought the opponent shot at the wrong basket.

You can survive those type of embarrassments when you
are as good as Miles is at everything else. He was an
exceptional wrestler and baseball player and cashed an
All-State football career into a scholarship at Michigan.

Why not Ohio State? Martha Miles, Les' mother, said her
son grew up wanting to play for the Buckeyes, but became
disenchanted after watching one of coach Woody Hayes'
legendary temper tantrums.

Miles was a two-year letterman at Michigan under Bo
Schembechler and played on teams that advanced to the Rose
Bowl and Orange Bowl. Miles is in the Elyria Sports Hall of
Fame, right there with Vic Janowicz. During Miles'
induction speech, he humbled his former coaches by giving
them all the credit for his accomplishments.

Said John Sheldon, who was Miles' position coach in high
school: "In a coaching career, you can almost pick out guys
you know are going to succeed under all circumstances and
Les was that type of young man."

OKLAHOMA STATE has spent much of its football life being
"bullied" (series record 14-73-7) by a bigger program down
the road. It is with some degree of coincidence that the
Cowboys' new coach has a reputation of toppling bigger
opponents and protecting underdogs from bullies.

"Sound like you hired the right man," said longtime pal
and former high school teammate Jack Sito.

Miles was never big enough to suit himself and his mom
wants the blame. She smoked when she was pregnant with her
children -- it was not perceived as a health no-no back then --
and none of the kids grew as tall as their 6-foot-4 father.
Miles is 6-2.

In the seventh grade, Miles started lifting weights
before school because he wanted to be bigger and stronger.
He was barely 200 pounds as a high school lineman, but was
allegedly the hardest hitter on a team with players who
were 40 and 60 pounds heavier.

Sheldon used the size issue to push Miles' buttons.

" `Oh boy, are you in for it this week,' " the coach often
told Miles. " `That tackle over you is just going to maul
you.' But there was no way that other guy was going to do
that. Les was just that type of individual. The tougher it
got, the tougher he became."

Miles got by on technique and "just plain desire," said
Sheldon. Miles couldn't tolerate others failing to show
desire. He once flattened his team's star running back in
practice.

"Why did you do that?" asked coaches. Said Miles, "He
wasn't running hard enough and that's why I hit him."

Desire and technique also offset a lack of size when
Miles wrestled. He squared off against heavyweights and
gorged himself before weigh-ins to order to be
green-lighted for matches.

But Miles played the role of David and conquered Goliath
after Goliath. That, and football heroics, helped Miles
earn a "don't mess with Les" reputation, even though he
rarely was involved in altercations.

That reputation was likely enhanced by an incident in
which a fellow who had been drinking took a swing at Miles
and missed so badly that he fell and broke his nose. The
boy was taken away in an ambulance. You can imagine the
chatter that generated. Did you hear what Les did to that
guy? And he didn't even throw a punch.

Miles took advantage of his reputation to become a
protector. Once, three guys were pestering the coach's
daughter for a date and she didn't want any part of it.
Miles saw a damsel in distress and stepped in with the
words "she's with me." One of the antagonists objected and
Miles, who sweet-talked his way out of most scrapes,
dropped him with a punch.

Miles was forced to learn about standing up for himself
in elementary school. The neighborhood bully became a
pitfall on the daily trek to school and Les' mom, who
wasn't fond of her son collecting lumps, suggested Les find
another route. When his dad found out what was going on, he
ordered otherwise. He demanded Les fight the bully as many
times as necessary. Les eventually won the fight and began
standing up for others, too.

"If you were ever with him and made fun of anybody,
anywhere, he was on your butt," said Sito. "He was definitely
the protector. You just didn't talk about nobody."

It has been suggested that Miles is passionate about
taking up for the underdog because one of his younger
siblings, Mark, is hearing-impaired. Les never gave much
thought to the subject until asked about it recently, but
believes it has some merit. As a kid, Les used to sit on
Mark to keep his hyper little brother from running out of
his parents' sight.

When Les was older, he became the guardian that his
little sister both loved and dreaded. AnnHope had crushes
on Les' friends, but all of them knew they were in serious
trouble if they wronged her. Those same friends inherited
the role of protector after Les went to college. Once, when
an altercation broke out at a dance, she was yanked by the
collar off the dance floor by a boy she did not recognize.
Said the boy, "Your brother wouldn't want you that close to
this situation."

Now, AnnHope wishes she had a son like Les to safeguard
her children. "He looked out for people who couldn't
look out for themselves," she said. "It sounds kind of hokey,
but he believes in the power of right."

On Monday, when OSU newcomers practice for the first
time, Miles will take another flock under his wing.

"I would put money on if you give him three to five
years, Oklahoma State won't be underdogs anymore," said
Browne. "They will be a force to be reckoned with and there
will be a tremendous, tremendous turnaround for that
program."

FORMERLY a big man on campus, Miles had to adjust to
being a little fish in a big pond at Michigan. Emphasis on
little.

The size disadvantage Miles faced in high school was
more pronounced at Michigan and he continually had to fend
of challenges from guys who looked like sumo wrestlers.
Once, when a strapping newcomer was promoted ahead of him,
Miles was discouraged enough to call home for advice. His
dad offered the option of coming home, but Les wanted no
part of that. It pleased his father and Schembechler, who
grew to appreciate Miles' spunk.

In an attempt to keep pace with the sumos, dad and Les
concocted a summer beef-up plan. Les gained too much weight
and lost quickness. His mom feared this might be a real
bump in the road. Les responded by joining a Christian
group.

"I was so proud of him," she said. "I knew he was going to
make it because he was solving problems the right way. At
that point, I knew I didn't have to worry about him
anymore."

Though Miles worked his way to the top of the
Wolverines' depth chart, he knew he was too small to play
professional football. He took his economics degree and
landed a job that paid well. But Miles wanted to coach and
took a $34,000 pay cut to become a graduate assistant at
Michigan.

Schembechler was brutally honest when Miles asked about
becoming a coach. Long hours. Low pay. High pressure. No
guarantees.

"He wanted to make sure I really wanted to be a football
coach," said Miles. "He didn't want to talk to a guy that was
insincere." Miles stashed away some money before making
the career jump. He would need it, since his first-year
salary was $8,900. He spent the vast majority of time at
work and slept in a basement apartment where toilet
plumbing from an upper floor dangled over the bed. He
wrapped a towel around the pipes just in case a drip
developed while he was sleeping.

Eventually, Miles was promoted to offensive line coach.
He coached at Colorado for five seasons under Bill
McCartney, returned to Michigan for eight seasons and spent
three seasons each at Oklahoma State and with the Dallas
Cowboys. Now he's back in Stillwater as the Cowboys' 21st
head coach.

"He's living his dream right now, if you haven't figured
that out," said Browne. "Our family is so happy for him. It's
just a very thrilling thing for me to see him live his
dream and so something he sat out to do. I'm sure he's
working 6 a.m. to midnight and doesn't consider it work
because, to him, it's a blast."

Kathy Miles said her husband is consumed by everything
and has interests more cosmopolitan than just football.

"There are a lot of things Les could do and be good at
it," she said. "He could have been a great lawyer."

Though spare time is rare, Miles found time to coach his
daughter's softball team and one of his son's T-ball teams
when the family lived in Dallas. He didn't get married
until age 40, but he has thrice embraced fatherhood.

If there is a regret, it is that Miles' father, Hope, is
not along to enjoy the ride. Hope envisioned he and his
wife, Martha, moving to Stillwater if Les ever became OSU's
head coach. Hope died last September.

"He was totally devoted to Les," said Martha.

"He was a great advocate of his children," Les said of a
father who worked two jobs in order to make a down payment
for a first home. "He really believed in us. He was really
the first coach that I ever had that expected me to do much
more than what was being done."

Of course, Miles expects more from the OSU program than
what has been done.

"I do believe, just knowing him, he's going to the top
and he's going to take whoever comes along with him," said
Sito. "That's the Lester I know."
Click to expand...

philter, Jun 2, 2005

#1
philter Founding Member

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Some of the better, more telling quotes:

Many kids tend to get red-faced when parents visit school. But when Miles' dad showed up at school, Les gave him hugs and kisses, never mind who was watching.
Click to expand...

Miles was such a curious kid that his mom wrote down all
of his questions and made weekly trips to the library to
find answers. Where does electricity come from? Why can't
you build an elevator to outer space? Why can't we put
feathers on our arms and fly? Once, following a Marilyn
Monroe movie, he asked his dad this question: "With her in the world, how could you marry mom?"
Click to expand...

What teammates didn't know is Miles was a trained
dancer. He loved football so much, says sister AnnHope
Browne, that he secretly took ballet classes as a pre-teen,
believing ballet would help him become a better football
player.
Click to expand...

There is a conflicting story circulating that Miles gave up
basketball because he allegedly pulled a Roy Riegels. Miles
came up with a steal, but lost his compass and shot at the wrong basket. He missed a layup and an opponent rebounded
it for a put-back. According to those who relayed the
story, Miles then high-fived the opponent because he
thought the opponent shot at the wrong basket.
Click to expand...

> Why not Ohio State? Martha Miles, Les' mother, said her
son grew up wanting to play for the Buckeyes, but became
disenchanted after watching one of coach Woody Hayes'
legendary temper tantrums.
Click to expand...

Once, three guys were pestering the coach's
daughter for a date and she didn't want any part of it.
Miles saw a damsel in distress and stepped in with the
words "she's with me." One of the antagonists objected and
Miles, who sweet-talked his way out of most scrapes,
dropped him with a punch.
Click to expand...

Many many more...great stuff about him taking ballet lessons and his serial behavior as a 'protector'.

philter, Jun 2, 2005

#2
philter Founding Member

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Also, on the subject of Miles and his background, I might as well throw in this picture of him at Vernon Grant's funeral.

philter, Jun 2, 2005

#3
clair Rockets

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I've said it since day 1...

Les will be GREAT GREEEEEEEEAT here...

clair, Jun 2, 2005

#4
USNavyTiger Founding Member

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what a stand up guy.

LSU football is going to punch you in the mouth!

I could see coach miles headbutting players all over the place after big plays...

USNavyTiger, Jun 2, 2005

#5
OpelousasLSUFan Founding Member

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USNavyTiger said:

what a stand up guy.

LSU football is going to punch you in the mouth!

I could see coach miles headbutting players all over the place after big plays...
Click to expand...

I could not agree more!:thumb:

my favorite part of the artical was:

He once flattened his team's star running back in
practice. "Why did you do that?" asked coaches. Said Miles, "He
wasn't running hard enough and that's why I hit him."
Click to expand...

Get ready boys! They better go 100% at practice or he may just flatten one of the players.

I hope the entire coaching staff has this kind of attitude too.

OpelousasLSUFan, Jun 2, 2005

#6
mcmikel Founding Member

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philter said:

Also, on the subject of Miles and his background, I might as well throw in this picture of him at Vernon Grant's funeral.
Click to expand...

I think it was very classy to sport his Cowboy tie, especially after Gundy won't let him speak to the team after taking the LSU job.

mcmikel, Jun 2, 2005

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tigerfantoo Founding Member

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LSU needs a guy like Miles. He will do fine at LSU. ldskule:

tigerfantoo, Jun 2, 2005

#8
COTiger 2010 Bowl Pick 'Em Champ

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The more I read and hear about Miles, the more convinced I am that we won't skip a beat with Les at the helm.

Check out the two press conference clips and the famous Let 'er Rip clip while being interviewed by Lynn Swan. He's not "polished", but I love his enthusiasm. Let 'er rip Les.

http://www.posergym.com/sa/

COTiger, Jun 2, 2005

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Beaux-Bo Founding Member

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mcmikel said:

I think it was very classy to sport his Cowboy tie, especially after Gundy won't let him speak to the team after taking the LSU job.
Click to expand...

Me 2

Beaux-Bo, Jun 2, 2005

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