The day he interviewed, Wood recalls, there were three fights in the schools halls. Each of the thousands of bales waiting to be loaded and shipped off weighs up to 500 pounds. Ive got to do my best to take advantage of the situation the continuity that was kept on so many different levels: players, staff, so many different people, with how this (coaching transition) went down, Riley said. "One of the greatest assets our town has is its name," Rennels said. J. Brady McCollough is a sports enterprise reporter for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on national college football and basketball topics. Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Jason Richards. But as much as he relished playing the game, Riley suspected his playing days were over when he passed on small school college football to attend Texas Tech. Conventional wisdom might tell you to stay in that, thats what you do, and I certainly think that wouldve turned out just fine. Marilyn, his mother who grew up on a Muleshoe farm, and his father, Mike, who came from a family that operated cotton gins among other business ventures, graduated from the University of Texas. We were huge Muleshoe fans.. His exit left him stunned and, he admits, a bit disappointed. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. But as he and his wife considered the idea, Riley thought of his daughters. Muleshoe always supports their own.. The next year, with Mike settling in as quarterback, the Mules won three games. Which brings us to our final topic . Momentum was building, and at quarterback, the attention turned to Riley, who Wood says was set to take the reins as a sophomore. He holds a masters of administration in education from Sam Houston State University, and graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science in physical education from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, where he was quarterback for the football team. A top-10 preseason ranking is expected and, last week, the Sooners were predicted to win their third consecutive Big 12 championship. He brought a program and a culture to Muleshoe that hadnt been there, Riley said. Questions? Ive always carried that with me., USC coach Lincoln Riley on what he learned from high school coach David Wood, There was backlash to his new, strict approach at first, too. 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Eight years later, on the brink of that state championship, Riley returned to Muleshoe High for a pep rally. USC sent shock waves through the sports world when it hired Oklahomas Lincoln Riley as its football coach. Muleshoes favorite son is now the youngest head coach in major college football. Ask anyone in Muleshoe about Lincoln, whose first name is enough around these parts, and they swell with pride. Lincoln, theyll tell you, couldve been anything. Every Friday night that season, Muleshoe shut down. Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter. Everybody is so supportive. The whole town packed into the high school gym that day, glowing as Riley spoke. Oklahoma mightve tested their allegiances as Texans, but Norman was still the Great Plains. 4 min read. She's from Dimmitt, 45 miles away. Lincoln Riley isnt surprised by the towns confusion. The town would never forget. Everyone's a hero in a small town, Wood said. It was a fortuitous first step on a coaching ladder that has led him to. Rileys coaching success has been anchored by a spread-it-out, fast-paced attack. You're shaped by your experiences," Riley said. Wood said that Riley got the Mules coaching staff into a meeting with Leach before the 2008 season, and then helped the coaches install the Red Raiders spread offense. I just knew there were things I wanted to try to do. Will fame (and the fortune of a new $3.1 million annual contract) change Riley? To head coach Jason Richards, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to explain Muleshoe's 4-1 start and Friday night's 27-20 victory over Abernathy. Cheerleading Sponsor Cheyanne Cage. Learn how this Muleshoe High School student is connecting with coaches in TX and nationwide. They are high-integrity people who recruit the right way and have a unique ability to work with players on and off the field.. I told someone the other day that Ive always felt a strong sense of anytime I was any part of a team, I didnt want to be the one to let my team down whether as a player or student assistant or (graduate assistant) or coach or coordinator or now as a head coach.. There are high expectations. Registration is at 7:15 to 8:00 at the football field first session is for incoming . His grandfather, Claude, was the first, leading the Mules to an undefeated season in 1938. No new houses, he says, have been built in 15 years. Find content for all Muleshoe Mules' Football teams covered by MaxPreps over the years. HomeDirectoryPhotosAboutContactAdvertise. Everyone knows everyone, especially the Muleshoe native whose hiring as OUs coach created shockwaves throughout the college football world. Wood always saw the mind of a coach when Riley was one of his players. One newcomer Richards is excited about is Nic Reyes, a 5-foot-11, 275-pound sophomore offensive lineman. He looks back fondly on his upbringing in West Texas and the lessons it taught him. Once he decided on the coaching ranks, I figured he'd be climbing up the ladder pretty quickly.. But its what hes always wanted and anticipated. Richards comes to Muleshoe from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, where he served as offensive coordinator. "I don't think they would havehad to pay him," his father Mike said. Everybody is just so proud.". Mike Riley calls Muleshoe just like a lot of small towns. Over time, some of the Riley stories from those days have come to drift into tall tales, depending on whos telling them. "I guess probably once I started to think about going to college, I enjoyed the game so much in high school that I felt it would be part of my life some way, some how. Who can help student-athletes cash in? McNeill, who accepted the head coaching position at East Carolina, hired Riley to be his offensive coordinator. We're pretty exited around here. A statue of Old Pete stands near Muleshoes only stoplight and celebrates the role of the mule in Texas history. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley watches the Sooners play Iowa State on Nov. 20. "It's just this year's team," he said. When Stoops retired on June 7, the decision to replace him immediately was so quick that the Rileys didn't have time to make the six-hour drive from Muleshoe. Did Riley envision himself as a future coach? All rights reserved. He's been too busy. We were so close in age, it became a friendship, but he was a friend I respected. Some were convinced hed leave for Louisiana State. Two decades later, folks in town are still happy to relive that run through the state playoffs. USC won 11 national titles under icons Howard Jones, John McKay, John Robinson and Pete Carroll. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Once he sees something, hell never forget it.. The hustle and bustle is happening at the livestock auction down the highway, where sheep and hogs and goats are being sold at a breakneck pace. Kyle Atwood, a close friend and Rileys leading receiver in high school, expects USC flags to be flying in town soon enough. Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal Muleshoe's head football coach Jason Richards reacts to water being poured on him after the team's win against Brownfield in a bi-district playoff football. They want their kids to be successful, not just in athletics, but in anything they do.. He spent a couple of days in Muleshoe and wrote about his drover days. Riley is a small-town guy, but clearly hes up for an adventure. A Texas map on the wall of Muleshoe, Texas head football coach David Wood's office marks the location of their West Texas opponents, Tuesday, August 1, 2017. Head Cross Country/Head Girls Powerlifting Coach . In years past, he has made it back to Muleshoe every summer. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Roster last updated on Nov 14, 2022 @ 4:14pm (GMT) Print Roster Correction All-Time Roster. There was a problem saving your notification. Although rocket science was not to be, he considered pursuing his mother's dream that he study to become a pharmacist. As noted in a 2019 Times profile of Riley, Like most boys in West Texas, Riley grew up wanting to be the QB1, not coach him. And then there are the obligatory obits about friends and neighbors. Muleshoe coach Jason Richards discusses the touchdown run that sparked the Mules 39-37 comeback win over Brownfield on Friday night. Then cast your vote, Bruce Springsteen adds to mythology with three-hour show at Tulsa's BOK Center, State board approves new academic standards with Ryan Walters' last-minute revisions, More than 800 Oklahoma medical marijuana farms linked to organized crime, drug agency says, Gov. But the worst of times came decades later, just as his oldest son was learning to love football. If youre at home, youre trying to be the best son, daughter. And sometimes he'd double back and explain to me what I was missing.". Duncan drew close to Riley and McNeill during the Alamo Bowl and was a mentor to the pair until his death on March 12, 2016. Watch the latest highlight videos for the Muleshoe Varsity Football team Muleshoe will be Richards first athletic director and head football coaching position. "But he was the kind of athlete you wanted running the show. A Michigan native and University of Michigan graduate, Kartje previously wrote for Fox Sports Wisconsin and the Bloomington (Ind.) This article originally ran on July 15, 2017. How did Lincoln Riley zoom from Muleshoe High School to the Sooners new head coach? I knew he'd be the best next coach at a major Division I school. Riley played quarterback and defensive end for Muleshoe High School before graduating in 2002. "Everybody loves him. 12 and led the Mules to a state semifinal finish his senior season. Cortez, Raymond ( So.) But by then, the town had already galvanized around its team, and Muleshoe was firmly on the football map. He took Baker Mayfield, a former walk-on transfer from Texas Tech, and turned him into one of the most prolific passers in the country. Davis will be Muleshoe's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after previously being at Texico (New Mexico) High School. USC coach Lincoln Riley is introduced as the Trojans new head football coach at the Coliseum on Nov. 29, in front a bustling city backdrop vastly different than where he grew up. Learn how this Muleshoe High School student is connecting with coaches in TX and nationwide. 3 games every Oklahoma fan should circle on the calendar; full season predictions for 2017. Seems that back when Riley. "He loved the job and was used to working for nothing.". Even in the classroom, when the teacher was giving notes, he'd just soak it in. Thats what you grew up in, thats what your daughters are used to, Riley says. No matter how Riley and the Sooners fare, the 105-year-old town of Muleshoe will be proud of him. When he announced it was Oklahoma, I thought, that would be a good place for him to be a head coach, too.'. Garrett Riley, Lincolns brother, said he had a little bit of an instinct that something like that may happen. But even he learned his brother took the USC job via social media. And I think the value of honesty from my parents and in the community, those were things that people expected of you and took pride in. Garrett, six years younger than his brother, is currently the quarterbacks coach at, But on this Tuesday, the first day of August, Mike Riley is sporting a crimson. Clovis was district and state champion in 2001. Who knows what would have become of Riley had he gone to Dartmouth, which seemed most interested, instead of his eventual landing spot at Texas Tech. only a means to a football end. David Wood was Rileys high school football coach. That part has always been important to me.. Thats something they never felt in Norman, where fans would recognize Rileys wife, Caitlin, at the grocery store and knew their daughters names. A look at what Lincoln Rileys USC team could look like come the 2022 season. quarterback, led the Mules 400 miles to a Class 3A state semifinal game at Texas Stadium in Irving. When I hired him, Lincoln was the youngest full-time assistant in the country, but he had been with me as a student assistant and a GA for about six years and did a tremendous job, so I had no reservation about hiring him.. Riley, though, doesn't see his biggest 2018 task as replacing a Heisman winner. He wasnt afraid to change things up, to do things different from what had been done there. Copyright 2022. "He was a coach on the field for us. While Riley stayed loyal to McNeill, he also wanted to make sure his next jump was the proper one. Editor's note: This story was originally published on August 10, 2017. Riley is a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive end for the Mules football team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. His offense has placed five players in the top 10 for rushing yards in a season and nine players in the top 10 for receiving yards in a season. Georgia was one of them. With a coach of Rileys pedigree now leading the Trojans, the Pac-12 is unquestionably now USCs for the taking in the coming years. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns in last April's NFL Draft. Oklahoma, where Memorial Stadium could hold 17 times the population of Muleshoe. My dad worked me enough there throughout the years that he broke me on that, Riley joked during an interview with The Times last week. Life is too short, so dont be afraid to go for it.. There were multiple years in which we were 0-10 or 1-9, Atwood says. In 2014, assistant head coach was added to Riley's titles. Former Mule Jaxon Lee, an AP all-state first team lineman for the. One person he depended on during this time was the late Donnie Duncan, a former Oklahoma athletic director. As impressed as Wood was with his Muleshoe quarterback's ability on the field, he was just as amazed by his off-the-field work. A high school portrait of USC football coach Lincoln Riley hangs on the wall of his parents home in Muleshoe, Texas, on Thursday, June 25, 2015. Its something that hes excited about. "It was a great place to grow up," Riley said on Wednesday afternoon during a telephone interview with The Eastern New Mexico News. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. One is USC head coach. He always has. (An even smaller coincidence my step dad and Riley are apparently distant, distant cousins). When Wood talks about Riley, it sounded like Lou Holtz, who a couple of months ago came through Oklahoma City and noted his innate ability to immediately see and comprehend the intricacies of football. Muleshoe rolled through four playoff games on their way to the Class 3A state semifinals, including a rare win over Friona that inspired Riley and three teammates the next summer to climb the rival towns water tower and spray paint the winning score, 23-13, for all to see. Theres no shortage of small-town sleuths here still wondering aloud why Riley up and left the Sooners seemingly overnight. . It's also home to two of the greatest offensive minds in college football. But in high school, there were only a few shotgun sets, and the Mules ran a Power-I attack. As of September 2019, Harrell and Riley kept in touch often via text message. The first quarterback Riley ever coached was none other than USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. Two years into that gig, Riley found himself promoted to head coach when Stoops unexpectedly retired in June of 2017. Riley already has plenty of quality head-coaching experience behind him, plus a hefty new contract approved by the school last month. Its hard to imagine a place any further away from Los Angeles. Suddenly Muletrain was competing with SportsCenter for eyeballs. Anytime they wanted to bounce something off of someone, Donnie was the person that they talked to , I think it was their mutual love and admiration for college football. Riley had instant success at East Carolina, and drew job opportunities from four schools. I really saw his potential to be a rocket scientist, Wood said in 2015. He brought belief and hope. He is the former high school quarterback who wore No. From what I understand, Graves says, he wants to build his own program.. Riley is a quarterback whisperer, and Southern California is a five-star quarterback assembly line. I wish I could have recorded Lincoln with how smooth, precise and decisive he was on that night of the game, McNeill said. And, of course, who knows when those smitten might get engaged or married or when babies will be born? Riley still has an itch to scratch when it comes to winning at the highest level of the sport and must feel he can reach the summit more easily from USC. ", Three Oklahoma stars to keep an eye on in 2017 season, Watch for these three Oklahoma players to have breakout seasons in 2017. Hes got size, hes got a great family.. 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