Les is More

Although Les Miles left the Oklahoma State staff for the NFL, he never gave up the hope of returning to Stillwater as the Cowboys’ head coach. I would talk with Les once a month and keep him up on what was going on at OSU. While he was knee deep in the pro game, he had more than a casual interest in the program that he left behind.

While visiting my oldest daughter and her husband in the Dallas area, I arranged to meet Les at Valley Ranch, which was then the headquarters for the Dallas Cowboys. My son-in-law and I spent about an hour walking and talking with Miles. Much of the conversation was about Oklahoma State.

I had no input whatsoever on Simmons’ replacement. But I was all in on the decision to bring Les back. I had grown close to the Miles family when he was drawing up offensive plays for the Cowboys. I couldn’t wait to work with him now that he sat in the head coach’s office.

What you saw is what you got with Miles, who took OSU to three bowls in his four short years in Stillwater. He was a ball coach who was passionate about the game and his team. No, he wouldn’t talk your ear off. In fact, if something could be said in 20 words, Miles would do it in 10. He was guarded and calculated in what he said. That part drove me bonkers from time to time, but I fully understood his personality and respected his approach.

On just a few occasions he let emotion and passion take over in a public setting. Remember those famous quotes “We’ll play those suckers anywhere, anytime” and “I guess we’ll figure out which team is which when we line up to play on Saturday against Oklahoma.” Never one to supply bulletin board material, Les always played things close to the vest. He even scripted his responses on his TV coaches show.

Les’ overall record at OSU was 28-21 (16-16 in the Big 12). But his numbers were very solid when you consider he got off to a 4-7 (2-6 in conference play) start.

Miles took what Simmons started in the Bedlam Series and continued to run with it. He was a key part of that successful stretch as a Cowboy assistant. A tough-minded, old school Michigan man, Miles wasn’t in awe of anyone. He considered himself as CEO of his company and made decisions accordingly.

Miles won his first two Bedlam meetings and split four games against Oklahoma. He will forever be part of OSU’s 16-13 magic in 2001 and the 38-28 pounding of the Sooners the next year in Stillwater in a game that was truly not as close as the final score.

He took OSU to the Houston Bowl in ’02 and the Cowboys beat a good Southern Miss team 33-23. That broke a four-year bowl drought and energized a fan base that turned Houston orange. The next year Ole Miss slipped by the Cowboys in the Cotton Bowl. Despite the loss, the fans continued to believe in the direction of the program.

Unfortunately, many fans will recall Miles in less than glowing terms over his departure to LSU. OSU was appearing in its third-straight bowl — against Ohio State in the Alamo Bowl. Rumors swirled throughout the bowl preparation that Miles’ stay at OSU was coming to an end. He tried to deflect the speculation and focus on the Buckeyes.

OSU was hit in the mouth early by the Buckeyes and routed 33-7. The Cowboys never really challenged Ohio State and that didn’t go over well with the thousands of fans who made — and paid for — the trip to San Antonio.

Some “insiders” said Miles was on his phone at halftime working out the details of his new contract. That was absurd and just an excuse for the embarrassing loss. Shortly after returning home, Les confirmed he was leaving. Those who said there was no way that could happen had egg on their faces. To this day, emotions are still raw over that decision.

I’m biased because of my friendship with Les, but I think he had as much to do with the current state of Cowboy football as any coach in school history.