Les was born in Nebraska and grew up in Iowa. There, he became involved in the sport of wrestling, placing 4th and 2nd in the State 3A wrestling championship. He credits starting to work in the family landscaping business at age 10 and playing other sports for some of that early success.
Wrestling continued to be a dominant theme in his life. He attended Central Missouri State University on scholarship where achieved several honors: two time All American, four MIAA titles where he was named “Outstanding Wrestler” three times, and the “Vernon Kennedy Award” for top male athlete his senior year.

After college graduation, he immediately started his highly successful coaching career, both collegiate and high school, including recognition as NCAA Rookie Coach of the Year and HS Coach of the Year in Vero Beach, FL. Les changed careers in 1985, moving into financial services, specializing in life insurance and annuities, where he continued to earn accolades for nearly 30 years.

In April 2012, everything changed abruptly with his MS diagnosis. He became very ill, had multiple ER visits and lost his balance. His wrestling buddies rallied and Les has inspired so many by riding 4,000 miles a year with Wrestling MS.

Through all of this, Les says raising his sons is the best thing he has ever had a part of doing. Trey is 31 and Zach is 28.