Major Setback for LSU
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana – On Thursday, Les Miles’ HOF fate was sealed as the NCAA finalized a ruling against LSU’s football program vacating 37 wins from 2012-2015. Vadal Alexander, an LSU lineman during that stretch, was found to have been ineligible during his entire tenure in Baton Rouge after he impermissibly received $180,150 from an LSU booster.
Les Miles’ Legacy Tarnished
Head coach Les Miles also loses 37 wins from his overall coaching record. Miles, who was fired from LSU four games into the 2016 season, now officially holds a 108-73 overall head coaching record.
Typically the vacating of wins (see USC football or Louisville men’s basketball) is mostly a symbolic gesture that does not cause much material change except for the occasion banner coming down. However, the change from Miles’ overall record from 145-73 (.665 winning percentage) to 108-73 (.597 winning percentage) actually makes the longtime coach ineligible for the College Football Hall of Fame.
According to the College Football Hall of Fame website, “a coach becomes eligible three full seasons after retirement or immediately following retirement provided he is at least 70 years old. Active coaches become eligible at 75 years of age. He must have been a head football coach for a minimum of 10 years and coached at least 100 games with a .600 winning percentage.”
So, Les Miles HOF eligibility short by two wins.
Miles’ Controversial Career
Miles was celebrated for a long time in Baton Rouge. His eccentric personality and appetite for Louisiana grass endeared him to the LSU faithful for a long, long time. Miles’ LSU squad won the 2007 BCS National Championship game in just his third season in Baton Rouge; he also led the Tigers back to the national title game in 2011 but lost to Alabama in a rematch of “The Game of The Century.”