Gundy Pokes Fun at Les Miles’ Age, Talks Impact of Miles Getting the Kansas Job

STILLWATER — Sometime next year, Les Miles will be back on a sideline at Boone Pickens Stadium staring across the field at the program he used to run.

Kansas announced Miles as it’s next football coach Sunday. Miles coached the Cowboys from 2001-04 where he went 26-21. In 2003, Oklahoma State went 9-4, culminating in a 31-28 loss in the Cotton Bowl to Oles Miss. He went on to spend 2005-16 at LSU where he picked up a national championship.

Gundy was OSU’s offensive coordinator while Miles was in Stillwater. In his weekly news conference Monday, Gundy gave his thoughts on his former boss re-entering the Big 12.

“It’ll be entertaining,” Gundy said. “This conference has been entertaining, and now it’ll be even more entertaining with Coach. I’m glad he got back into it. I’m not sure why anybody that gets past 60 would want to be back into it, but it’s awesome for him that he wanted to do it.”

Gundy poked fun at Miles’ growing age a few times Monday. At 65, Miles was still owed $6.5 million from LSU according to Sports Illustrated, but Miles accepted a lump sum $1.5 million to begin negotiations with Kansas.

“I think everybody knew for days,” Gundy said. “I was guessing that if he took a $4.5 million cut, from Louisiana (State) that he had some security that he was gonna get the Kansas job. I know he’s 65, but you figure he can still add good. He’ll like that comment. Once that happened, I felt pretty sure he had the Kansas job. I can’t imagine a guy would forfeit $4.5 million.”

Gundy said Miles will add to how interesting the Big 12 spring coaches meetings will be. The meetings will now include three head coaches who spent time in Stillwater with Miles, Gundy and West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen.

“It’s a pretty good group right now,” Gundy said. “One thing about our meetings, we all get along. We get along. There’s been some heated exchanges, but pretty much everybody’s good after that, not like what I hear goes on at the SEC in their meetings. We’ve got some different personalities in there. It’ll be interesting.”

Throughout his answers pertaining to Miles, Gundy called Miles “Coach.” Gundy said he is old-fashioned, and it’s a sign of respect to a teacher.

““He’s still, to me, a mentor from a standpoint of he taught me a lot of offensive football,” Gundy said. “Things that I didn’t have any clue.

“To me, he’s Coach. He’s a coach. He’s been very good to my family, so I just kinda see him that way. Plus, he’s a lot older that me.”