For LSU fans, seeing LSU coach Les Miles march up and down the Tiger Stadium sidelines in his white ball cap is just old hat after nine seasons. But the Mad Hatter is upgrading to a more fashionable headpiece in hopes of appealing to a new generation of recruits.
Miles announced Monday that he will trade in the classic LSU ball cap for a Vivienne Westwood Buffalo hat — recently made famous by singer Pharrell Williams at this year’s Oscars.
“The hat worn by Pharrell is a distinguishing symbol of fashion and something I think truly encapsulates the unique nature of this program,” Miles said while modeling the hat for the media during the conference. “I think this cap could help our program create a hip new style and appeal to a younger demographic of recruits.”
Miles said the hat was suggested to him by U-High sophomore running back Dylan Moses during a recent recruiting call the two had.
The brown hat, reminiscent of those worn by Canadian Mountees, comes from English designer Vivienne Westwood’s 1982 “Buffalo Girls” collection but made a comeback when Williams donned the hat for his performance at both the Oscars and Grammy award shows this year. Pictures have surfaced of Williams wearing the hat as early as 2009.
Williams recently sold the hat on Ebay for $44,100 to benefit Williams’ “From One Hand to Another” foundation to support children “by giving them the tools and resources to meet their unique potential.”
Miles denied comment on if he was the winning bidder.
“All I’ll say is that I had a strong want for this quality piece of fashion,” Miles said.
Miles’ team had mixed emotions about their coach’s new accessory.
“I’m just excited to get back on the field and compete for the starting job,” said LSU sophomore quarterback Anthony Jennings. “If coach Miles wearing a new hat means he calls my number on the sidelines, then I’m all for it.”
LSU senior fullback Connor Neighbors said he doesn’t have strong feelings about the hat either way, but was later seen asking associate athletic director Michael Bonnette if this meant the team would get a discount at Arby’s. Bonnette said he was unsure of any connection to the fast food chain.
LSU message board TigerDroppings.com had the most divisive reactions on the change, with some fans saying the new hat is the worst thing to happen to the state of Louisiana since the Civil War.
“If [Miles] wears that stupid hat, I swear I’m never going to watch another college football game. This shows a complete lack of control within the program,” said TigerDroppings.com user Saban_Hater1999.