The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
01.23.2014 | Football
UT alum has served as an offensive coordinator at four BCS schools
A veteran coach who has served as an offensive coordinator at four BCS schools, Les Koenning is in his first season as the Longhorns wide receivers coach.
Koenning (KENN-ing) spent the last five seasons as the OC/quarterbacks coach at Mississippi State where he led an offense that set a number of school records and aided the Bulldogs in reaching a bowl in four straight seasons for the first time.
The Houston native, who earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Texas, has also served as an offensive coordinator at Texas A&M (2003-07), Alabama (2001-02) and Duke (1998). He has coached running backs and served as a recruiting coordinator, in addition to tutoring quarterbacks and wide receivers.??Koenning had his first full-time assistant coaching position at Louisiana-Lafayette in 1985 before moving on to Mississippi State for four years (1986-89) as running backs and wide receivers coach.
Here is a Q&A with Koenning:
What entered into your decision to come to Texas?
I have known Charlie (Strong) for a long time and am thoroughly, thoroughly impressed with the way he coaches football. I am just happy to be a part of this because he is a very successful coach and being able to help him at The University of Texas was really exciting for me.
As a Texas alum, what does it mean to him to come back to coach here?
I think with Charlie it was a really, really great choice because he wants to keep the standards really high and wants to keep everything up. He has been through all those battles. We battled in the SEC and things are changing with the bowl division and things are breaking up. Coming back and seeing what has happened at The University, it has grown a lot. Obviously it was fairly large when I was here but it has even gotten bigger. But the big part is getting to see old friends, getting to see people I haven't seen in a long time, and I am very emotional about this place. It is a really great place and when you got your education here and played here and you have the opportunity to come back and see it be successful.
What does you family think about the move to Texas?
Oh, they were ecstatic. As you well know, there is a lot of division in everybody's family. So when you talk about Texas and A&M and other places, I was very happy to come back and get to reunite and see all our family. Mississippi was really good. Really enjoyed Mississippi State, great people. It was a thing we were excited about coming home but we will miss our friends over in Mississippi also.
What is it like to return to the Big 12?
It is exciting especially with our coaching staff. The new guys on the staff, I am excited to work with them and I have known those guys for a long time too. Coming into the Big 12 it is exciting being an offensive coach because there are a lot of numbers being put up and some things like that. You are excited to get with your kids, work with them, get on the field, and get after it. I haven't had much time to see anybody because everything has been a big rush but we really are excited and look forward to meeting the players and getting with them and their parents.
What has been your experience recruiting in Texas and your relationship with the high school coaches?
My dad (Les Koenning Sr.) was a long time high school coach in the state of Texas, one of the top 10 winningest coaches, so I was raised in a coaching family. There are not very many coaches in the state of Texas that I either have not been around or wasn't raised around or on a football field or on a girl's basketball court with. So it has been a pleasure to come back and see those old relationships everywhere from Beaumont to Lubbock, Texas. I think I have been to either a softball field, baseball field, football field, or a track meet. Those are the ways I had my vacations over the summers so getting to see those people again is really exciting for me.
What is it about Texas that made you want to come back?
The University of Texas. There is a reason to say 'The' University of Texas because it represents the state of Texas and getting a chance to come back—you should set your ceilings high with goals and winning championships. That is what it is about. I think it is a neat place, I think Austin is a great town. When you have an opportunity to come back and an opportunity to take your alma mater to, hopefully, win a lot of championships, those are the things you look forward to.
