Head football coach Dan Mullen spent the first 14 years of his career coaching on the offensive side of the ball and the past four at Florida as offensive coordinator. When he began his search for an offensive coordinator, Mullen found Les Koenning - a coach with more than 25 years of experience and a wealth of knowledge not only about developing quarterbacks but also about the spread offense.

Koenning is not only experienced coaching on the collegiate level in general, he gained some of that knowledge during a previous stop at Mississippi State. His second full-time position in the college ranks was a four-year stint in Starkville from 1986-89.

Koenning comes to Mississippi State from South Alabama, where he spent the past season as the offensive coordinator for the newly developed Jaguar program. South Alabama will begin playing intercollegiate football this season.

Prior to his one-year stay at South Alabama, Koenning, 49, spent five years on the Texas A&M staff, serving as offensive coordinator and working with the quarterbacks. He has spent the last 10 years of his career coordinating offenses and calling plays, starting in 1998 at Duke before stops at Houston (1999), TCU (2000) and Alabama (2001-03).

A native of Houston, Koenning began his career with graduate assistantships at Texas and Alabama before being named wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Louisiana-Lafayette in 1985.

Koenning then served as running backs and wide receivers coach for Rockey Felker at Mississippi State from 1986-89. He moved to Rice as wide receivers coach from 1990-93 before taking the same position at Texas A&M.  Koenning gained a year of experience in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins during the 1997 season before returning to his college roots.

A 1981 graduate of Texas with a degree in Health and Physical Education, Koenning added a master's degree in sports management two years later.  He and his wife, Lisa, have two children, Les and Lana.

Coaching Career
2008: South Alabama (Offensive Coordinator / QBs)
2003-07: Texas A&M (Offensive Coordinator / QBs)
2001-02: Alabama (Offensive Coordinator / QBs)
2000: TCU (Passing Game Coordinator / QBs)
1999: Houston (Offensive Coordinator / QBs)
1998: Duke (Offensive Coordinator / QBs)
1997: Miami Dolphins (Offensive Assistant)
1994-96: Texas A&M (Wide Receivers)
1993 (Dec.):  Duke (Wide Receivers)
1990-93: Rice (Wide Receivers)
1986-89: Mississippi State (Running Backs / WR's)
1985: Louisiana-Lafayette (WR's / Recruiting Coordinator)
1984: Alabama (Graduate Assistant)
1981-83: Texas (Graduate Assistant)

Personal
Birthdate: February 10, 1958
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Education: 1981 - Bachelor's in Health and Physical Education from Texas
                1983 - Master's in Sports Management from Texas
Family: Married to the former Lisa Pihl
Children: Les and Lana