LSU's Miles: Grass is No. 1

His football team certainly knows how to handle itself on grass, or any type of turf, for that matter. So who better to represent turfgrass than LSU football Coach Les Miles?

Miles, coach of the top-ranked and undefeated LSU Tigers, has been named a spokesperson for Louisiana's turfgrass industry, the Department of Agriculture and Forestry says. Miles, whose No. 1-ranked Tigers edged then-No. 2 Alabama 9-6 in overtime Saturday, will be featured in the coming weeks in a series of outdoor, print and web ads that are promoting Louisiana grown turfgrass and the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry's (LDAF) Specialty Crop Program.

Actually, the roots of all this started a year ago. Miles was captured on TV chewing a blade of grass during the Tigers' game against the Crimson Tide in 2010. Finally, something was done about it.

The ad (seen above to the right) will show an image of Miles, wearing a headset as if he is coaching, with the caption, "You don't have to chew it to love it." Below that reads, "Louisiana Grown Turfgrass. Demand it."

"We couldn't have dreamed of a better spokesperson for Louisiana turfgrass than Les Miles," said Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., in a prepared statement. "Les is not only a national championship-winning head coach and a respected figure in the state, but he also happens to have a genuine appreciation for turfgrass."

Miles, in a statement released by Strain's office, said: "Nothing beats Louisiana grown turfgrass. It's local, fresh and reliable. And it's the grass of champions, whether you chew it for luck or not!"

Posters of the ads with Miles, who turns 58 on Thursday, will be distributed to nurseries and retail outlets throughout Louisiana.