Remembering Les

I know that I've come back to college football time and time again on this blog.  There's a part of me that wants to apologize for that because a quilting blog wouldn't seem a very natural fit for college football.  On the other hand, this is a blog about me as well as my quilts, so, in that sense, it seems fitting.

This past Sunday, following a heartbreaking loss to Auburn, LSU decided to fire Head Coach Les Miles.



I think that anyone who didn't see it coming just wasn't looking.  If you've read my blog at all, you know that I love my Tigers.  Part of that love has always been extended to Les Miles.  And it still does.

Although he's quirky beyond description (he always eats a blade of grass from the field before each game, "It keeps me humble and makes me feel connected.") he's also the classiest guy in college ball.

We can talk about his lack of offensive innovation and his clock management, but, at the end of the day, he's a classy guy.

I will always love Coach Miles and, even with some heartbreaking defeats, I'll always cherish the time that we Tiger fans got to share with him.

He led us to one national championship and two conference titles.  His record at LSU is the best in LSU history.

He insisted that the young men in his charge become forces for good in a world of devastation and personal tragedy.  This past year, in the course of a few short months, the city of Baton Rouge faced racial tension and violence as well as a natural disaster.

Les allowed his young men to express themselves in a positive way and he led his men in community efforts that allowed healing in a time of confusion.

Les Eating Grass

It's of course too soon to know what he'll do next, but, just as he'll always root for the Tigers, there's at least one Tiger fan who will always root for Les.

Go in peace, Coach.

TheCurmudgeon