2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 109
BY SENATOR LONG AND REPRESENTATI VE MCFARLAND
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend Les Miles on being named as a 2019 inductee into the Louisiana Sports Hall
of Fame.
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, Louisiana, each year
collaborates with the Louisiana Sports Writers Association in selecting a limited number of
sports figures who embody the character, skill, and talents worthy of being enshrined into
the hall of fame; and
WHEREAS, the 2019 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class includes Les
Miles; and
WHEREAS, after completing a stellar high school career at Elyria High School in
Elyria, Ohio, where he twice earned all-state honors for football, in addition to earning
varsity letters in baseball and wrestling, Les chose to attend the University of Michigan and
play for the Wolverines' legendary coach, Bo Schembechler; and
WHEREAS, during his playing days with the Wolverines, Les played on three teams
that shared the Big Ten title, participated in epic games during the "Ten Year War" with
Ohio State, lettered twice, played in the Orange Bowl, and earned a degree in economics;
and
WHEREAS, after a few years in business, Les returned to his beloved alma mater
as a graduate assistant (1980-81), coached the offensive line for the Colorado Buffaloes
under legendary coach Bill McCartney (1982-86), returned to Michigan as the offensive line
coach (1987-94), served as offensive coordinator for the Oklahoma State Cowboys (1995-
97), and coached tight ends for the Dallas Cowboys (1998-2000) before being named head
coach at Oklahoma State prior to the 2001 season; and
WHEREAS, while serving as the head coach in Stillwater, Coach Miles developed
a reputation as a master motivator and winner, with the Cowboys posting winning records
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in his last three seasons, earning three bowl bids, beating their hated instate rival, Oklahoma
twice, and winning the Associated Press Big XII coach of the year award for the 2002
season; and
WHEREAS, on January 2, 2005, Les was named as the thirty-second head coach of
the Louisiana State University Fighting Tigers; and
WHEREAS, in August 2005, days before Coach Miles was scheduled to make his
debut as the coach of LSU, Hurricane Katrina struck southern Louisiana, causing LSU's first
game to be postponed, while the Tigers' second game against Arizona State was forced to
move from Baton Rouge to Tempe on five-day notice, as the LSU campus was still serving
as an emergency center for Hurricane Katrina relief; and
WHEREAS, during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Les encouraged his players
to assist with the care of evacuees on the LSU campus, earning great respect from
Louisianians for putting the needs of its citizens above what may have been best for the
team; and
WHEREAS, with a dramatic last minute win in Tempe against the No. 15 Sun
Devils, featuring two blocked kicks for touchdowns and a fourth down touchdown pass to
win the game, the legend of the "Mad Hatter" was born; and
WHEREAS, after a loss to Tennessee, the 2005 Tigers were on a mission to lift up
a state ravaged by hurricanes, and rattled off nine straight wins without an open date on their
way to winning the Western Division of the SEC and a berth in the championship game; and
WHEREAS, the 2005 season and the beginning of the Les Miles era at LSU was
capped off by a lopsided win over the highly ranked Miami Hurricanes and a top ten finish;
and
WHEREAS, the 2006 Tigers capped the 2006 season with a Sugar Bowl triumph
over Notre Dame and a top five finish; and
WHEREAS, in 2007, universally viewed as the most exciting season in the history
of college football, with LSU having suffered two triple-overtime losses but still winning
the SEC championship, and through a series of upsets on the last day of the season, LSU
found itself in the BCS National Championship Game to be played in the Louisiana
Superdome against the No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes; and
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WHEREAS, as Les had never defeated the Buckeyes as a player at Michigan, he
relished the chance to play Ohio State on college football's greatest stage; and
WHEREAS, the Tigers dominated the Buckeyes 35-24 to capture its second national
championship of the decade and third in school history; and
WHEREAS, the 2011 SEC Champion Tigers experienced perhaps the greatest
regular season in college football history, with victories over No. 3 Oregon (Pac-12 and Rose
Bowl Champion) and No. 16 West Virginia (Big East and Orange Bowl Champion), in
addition to the gauntlet of SEC foes, including No. 25 Mississippi State, No. 19 Auburn, No.
17 Florida, No. 3 Arkansas, the epic "Game of the Century" 9-6 overtime victory over No.
2 Alabama (BCS National Champion) in Tuscaloosa, and No. 12 Georgia (Sugar Bowl
Champion) in the SEC Championship Game; and
WHEREAS, in eleven-plus seasons with the Tigers, Coach Miles averaged over ten
wins per season, guided the Tigers to eleven bowl games, seven bowl victories, three SEC
championship game appearances, two SEC championships, two BCS National championship
game appearances, one BSC National Championship, five Top 10 rankings, and three Top
5 finishes; and
WHEREAS, Les compiled the second most wins and the highest winning percentage
in program history, while producing an SEC-leading sixty-nine NFL drafts picks, thirteen
first rounders, and twenty-two first team All Americans; and
WHEREAS, under Coach Miles' leadership, LSU players excelled in the classroom,
achieving a graduation rate as high as second in the SEC on multiple occasions, two hundred
forty graduates, and nearly one hundred ninety SEC Academic Honor Roll members; and
WHEREAS, whether it was the trick plays, quirky press conferences, the way he
wore his white hat, or eating grass on the sidelines, Coach Miles captured the imagination
of football fans all over Louisiana and the country; and
WHEREAS, LSU Tiger fans and the state of Louisiana will be forever grateful to
Coach Miles for his accomplishments on and off the field.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend Les Miles on being named as a 2019 inductee into the Louisiana Sports Hall of
Fame.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Les Miles.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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