By Elliott Brown The Reveille

Baton Rouge, LA (U-WIRE) -- When he learned LSU football coach Nick Saban was leaving to become head coach of the Miami Dolphins, LSU Athletics Director Skip Bertman and the search committee set out to find someone closes to their model coach.

"We were looking for a person with similar background, characteristics and nature to continue our success," Bertman said.

In new coach Les Miles, Bertman has found a coaching background similar to Saban, both in time and circumstance.

The two coaches shared similar coaching records before coming to LSU. Miles was an assistant coach for 20 years before he got his first head coaching job at Oklahoma State University. Saban was an assistant for 17 seasons before he became a head coach, first at Toledo and later at Michigan State University.

Like Saban, Miles comes to LSU with NFL experience. From 1998-2000 Miles coached tight ends for the Dallas Cowboys where he tutored, among other players, former LSU tight end David LaFleur. Bertman said Miles' time in the NFL was an attribute he was looking for in a head coach.


"I like the mix of NFL experience that has been proven successful at LSU by Nick, and Les brings that knowledge and experience to our campus," Bertman said.

Miles said that despite his time in the NFL he still is committed to being a college coach.

"I am a college coach and it's what I wanted to do," Miles said. "But I felt that I had to get into football at its highest level. I felt that it was a great experience."

>rest here<