Things always change year to year in college football and that's one of the things we enjoy. Muleshoes favorite son is now the youngest head coach in major college football. The news first broke on Twitter by Matt Stepp on December 17 and KCBD Sports confirmed on Christmas Eve. Its because he has an exceptional memory a photographic memory. He inspired the whole town, Wood said. They were some complex plays as complex as you can be at 11.. "It was a great place to grow up," Riley said on Wednesday afternoon during a telephone interview with The Eastern New Mexico News. In Muleshoe, no one needs any convincing. But it has come at a price. I remember wed be playing football in the yard and hed be drawing up plays and things, his lifelong friend and former Texas Tech roommate, Jeff King, said during a 2015 interview with the Tulsa World. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas. And these former Longhorns fans are now supporters of the crimson and cream, as well as the University of Kansas, where their youngest son, Garrett, is the quarterbacks coach. Did Riley envision himself as a future coach? But everyone agrees that the boy was uncommonly bright, even if he didnt take notes in class and sometimes skipped his homework. Muleshoe Mules Class: 3A Division I DCTF High School Ranking: NR Location: Muleshoe, Texas 2022 District 2-3A Division I Standings Team District Record Overall Record Next Opponent Shallowater Mustangs 4 - 0 10 - 2 Idle Bushland Falcons 3 - 1 11 - 2 Idle Muleshoe Mules 2 - 2 8 - 4 Idle Dalhart Wolves 1 - 3 5 - 6 Idle "Small town, very tight-knit community. Riley's wife Caitlin is also pure West Texas, even if she's not from Muleshoe. 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. 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.. What should student loan borrowers do while waiting for Supreme Court forgiveness ruling? That, of course, changed when Lincoln Riley went to Texas Tech, tried out for the football team and Mike Leach almost immediately recognized Riley's intelligence and told him to turn in his shoulder pads and become a student coach. "We had great success there throughout our years. Richards grew up in Clovis, where he was quarterback/defensive back for the high school from 1999-2001. With Rileys help, the Sooners have won back-to-back Big 12 championships, have had two Heisman Trophy finalists in Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook, and a College Football Playoff appearance. That includes a winless 2019 season and missing the playoffs the past two years. blockbuster came in June when Muleshoe's own Lincoln Riley, whose parents Mike and Marilyn still live in Rennels' neighborhood, was named the football coach at the University of Oklahoma soon after the unexpected resignation of Bob Stoops. Riley will have no shortage of talented quarterbacks to evaluate right here in his new backyard. Weve been busy, but weve enjoyed every day., I cover the University of Oklahoma football and mens basketball teams. "He was a coach on the field for us. Still, they somehow became aware of each other at basketball games while playing for rival high schools. In 2018, Kyler Murray, a highly recruited transfer from Texas A&M, stepped in for Mayfield and earned his own Heisman and playoff appearance. Over time, some of the Riley stories from those days have come to drift into tall tales, depending on whos telling them. As of September 2019, Harrell and Riley kept in touch often via text message. The gridiron, no. USC won 11 national titles under icons Howard Jones, John McKay, John Robinson and Pete Carroll. Maybe more frequent trips to Los Angeles planted some seeds that Southern California might be a nice place to raise two young daughters, Sloan and Stella, with wife Caitlin, even though its a much different lifestyle than what theyve known in Norman, Okla. A rocket scientist. He spent a couple of days in Muleshoe and wrote about his drover days. Success on the intramural field, spurred him to attempt to walk on to the Tech team in the spring of his freshman season. Which brings us to our next topic . Lincoln Riley Oklahomas new head football coach recently greeted everyone with a smile at Leals Restaurant off the main drag in Muleshoe, Texas. Cheerleading Sponsor Cheyanne Cage. 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. It was a Sunday afternoon game decided by a Hail Mary on the final play. Im not a big Longhorn fan right now, thats for sure.. How could she possibly have known nefarious souls would steal the portable, outdoor air-conditioning system down at the nursing home necessitating an emergency fundraiser; or just how. Muletrain, it should be noted, actually has been around since the late 1950s as a radio offering on a station that beamed it in from Clovis, N.M., 30 miles away. Has to have shaped him a little bit.. Coaches came and went. Cattle ranching, dairy farming, wheat, cotton. 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. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley talks with his players during a game against Oklahoma State on Saturday. On his 27th birthday, Riley called plays in a thrilling season-opening 51-49 win over Tulsa in 2010. Hes going to kind of do everything.. As soon as the band quit marching, itd just be a few of us, some parents and the coaches wives in the stands, Stacy Conner, pastor at the First Baptist Church and a Riley family friend, jokes. The people in Muleshoe say they didn't know Riley was headed for gridiron greatness. He has learned from experience. A lot of times when people get success at a young age, the humble factor tends to get put on the backburner, Simmons said. "One of the greatest assets our town has is its name," Rennels said. Its hard to imagine a place any further away from Los Angeles. Head Girls Track Coach Adrienne Ross. Maybe even an astronaut. I am a Haskell Indian Nations University graduate. Before joining the Times in May 2018, he was a projects reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and a 2017 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. Many of those lakes that Will Rogers saw in the 19th century have now dried out, but the area is prime for agriculture. It would be a challenge, Simmons said, but one that the then-26-year-old coach accepted and conquered. Of course, some weeks are slower than others in this farming town of 5,000, located 70 flat, High Plains miles northwest of Lubbock. Born in Muleshoe, he was raised and schooled primarily in Colorado. ", 521 Pile StreetClovis, NM 88102Ph: (575) 763-3431, Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation For Riley's part, Muleshoe was good to him, providing the setting for a solid upbringing, a town where a boy who would someday lead one of the nation's most famous college football programs could learn lessons that shaped him. (Courtesy of Bryan Terry / The Oklahoman). By June, however, coach Mike Leach had seen enough. Years later, when asked what hed learned from Wood, Riley wouldnt hesitate to draw parallels to the situation he now steps into at USC. And mirages! But in high school, there were only a few shotgun sets, and the Mules ran a Power-I attack. Young kids look up to the varsity kids. This article originally ran on July 15, 2017. Under Walkers leadership, the Mules went 1-19 over the two seasons. Their hearts belonged to the Longhorns until sons Lincoln and Garrett went off to college at Texas Tech. Georgia was one of them. Some speculate the injury mightve changed his trajectory, but the next season, Riley led Muleshoe to new heights as its quarterback anyway. 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. In a ceremony held Jan. 28 in the Muleshoe High School Library, Jason Richards signed on as the new head football coach/athletic director for the Muleshoe Mules. The following season, Muleshoe went 15-0 and won its only state championship. Kyle Atwood, a close friend and Rileys leading receiver in high school, expects USC flags to be flying in town soon enough. Evaluate Brennen Davis's football recruiting profile. McNeill, who accepted the head coaching position at East Carolina, hired Riley to be his offensive coordinator. Others speculate he wanted nothing to do with the Southeastern Conference. 1. Wood always saw the mind of a coach when Riley was one of his players. Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. Ive always carried that with me. Richards also knows the talent that has come out of the program, like Riley brothers Lincoln and Garrett. But he did go to school there, walked on to the football team there, and when it became evident that he didn't have the skill to play quarterback there, transitioned to student assistant there. Riley, though, doesn't see his biggest 2018 task as replacing a Heisman winner. That number barely fields a varsity team. Garrett Riley is taking over the Clemson offense after winning the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant this past season. "He wasn't a blue-chip athlete," Wood said. I really saw his potential to be a rocket scientist, Wood said in 2015. 4 min read. Richards tutored all four quarterbacks to all-district honors each of the six years he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. "Muleshoe -- don't you like just hearing it?". When Leach abruptly lost his job before the 2009 season ended, Riley was asked to call plays in the Alamo Bowl against Michigan State by Red Raiders interim head coach Ruffin McNeill. 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. Head Boys Powerlifting Coach Jaxon Lee. As the young mayor explains, change often comes to town at a particularly cautious pace. Everyone knows everyone, especially the Muleshoe native whose hiring as OUs coach created shockwaves throughout the college football world. Few believed it at first. She's from Dimmitt, 45 miles away. As soon as Bob Stoops handpicked Riley to coach the quarterbacks and run the offense at Oklahoma in 2015, Riley began to prove what he had already shown at East Carolina in Conference USA: The guy knows how to motivate and prepare players at footballs most important position. in 1969, the Mules scored a single touchdown during the entire season. The day he interviewed, Wood recalls, there were three fights in the schools halls. Even in the classroom, when the teacher was giving notes, he'd just soak it in. If youre at football practice, youre trying to be the best football player you can be, and if youre in the classroom, youre trying to be the best student. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley has agreed to become the next USC football coach. After two seasons as the Head Football Coach/Athletic Director at Muleshoe High School, Lee Walker has been reassigned. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley watches the Sooners play Iowa State on Nov. 20. That was pretty exciting.. The Mules are set to kickoff the 2021 football team on Friday night by hosting Sundown. Despite Muleshoes noted success, the squad hit a rough patch, winning just six games over the past three years. Ask anyone in Muleshoe about Lincoln, whose first name is enough around these parts, and they swell with pride. Mules, just as his father Mike had done three decades earlier. Muleshoe dropped a 28-27 decision to Merkel in the area round of the Class 3A Division I playoffs last weekend. He bought us steak knives with Harrell engraved in them, Harrell said. Im fired up. "I think grit, never giving up and just playing . David Wood was Riley's high school football coach. The work was strenuous enough to teach Lincoln Riley the intended lessons about hard work and responsibility but also to convince him he had no interest in inheriting the family business. Muleshoe, Texas might see it a little differently. Football offered a nice escape. Great, great people. Riley showed the coaches just enough that he was invited to join the team in January. At the helm of an I-formation, pro-style attack that bears no resemblance to the offense he ran at Oklahoma and will bring to USC, Riley led the Mules to an undefeated regular season in 2000. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Mules scored just one touchdown during the entire 1969 season. Riley played briefly for Texas Tech, but spent more time there coaching than playing. During the season, itll be harder because hell be gone before they are awake and theyll be asleep before he gets home. Rileys coaching success has been anchored by a spread-it-out, fast-paced attack. Thats what you grew up in, thats what your daughters are used to, Riley says. All four quarterbacks are in the top five for passing yards in a season. Good call. And then there are the obligatory obits about friends and neighbors. 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. Los Angeles, on the other hand that felt like a world apart from Muleshoe. "Yeah, hotel right now," he says. In 2014, assistant head coach was added to Riley's titles. Everyone's a hero in a small town, Wood said. 877-845-6272. You can cancel at any time. Head coach Jason Richards hopes that preseason growth can be turned into regular-season success. Coaches came and went. A top-10 preseason ranking is expected and, last week, the Sooners were predicted to win their third consecutive Big 12 championship. Donnie trained both of us and patience was a big thing, McNeill said about coaching transitions. All rights reserved. One is USC head coach. But he happily embraced the familys other enduring legacy in town, as the third of four Rileys to quarterback the Muleshoe Mules. Former Mules quarterback Lincoln Riley . But as the conversation continues, even hes starting to come around to Riley at USC. 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. When Riley was a freshman, the Mules won 10, including a playoff game. He just had natural instincts.". That was the best the town had ever done, Wood said, until Lincoln., In West Texas, Muleshoes team was for decades a source of disappointment. They were married in 2007. a job as an assistant coach who worked with receivers. After watching Riley try to make it as a walk-on quarterback, the coach offered Riley a student assistant coaching job. I grew up where the wind makes you tougher. According to a press release, while serving as offensive coordinator, Richards football program had a 51-21 record, including three regional semi-final appearances and two area championship appearances. The town would never forget. Everybody is just so proud.". 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. Texas Tech coach Mike Leach saw enough in him to recruit him as a walk on, but it wasnt too long during his time in Lubbock before Riley moved into a student assistant role. Harrell told The Times, Really Lincoln was the first person that taught me Mike Leachs offense. MULESHOE The Muleshoe football team found itself trailing the visiting Brownfield Cubs 23-12 with 22 seconds remaining in the first half when Mules coach Jason Richards thought about taking a . He always has. As you might expect, Runnels, who could double as a one-woman Chamber of Commerce, has a special sweet spot for Riley. Thats a whole nother world than what he grew up in, said Alice Liles, who taught Rileys advanced English class and authored a book on the town. Who can help student-athletes cash in? Note: Lincoln Riley turns 35 years old today. Clovis was district and state champion in 2001. Wood said he envisioned his quarterback working someday for NASA. He was telling me about some other opportunities that were in the foresight of his career. A lot of the values I hope I still carry today were carried from my parents and people in that town. Call. Copyright 2022. We were on the way to San Antonio and the bowl game and we were obviously thinking we were going to have our normal role at that Alamo Bowl game, said Simmons, who coached wide receivers at the time. He could think on the field unlike anybody else. Muleshoe Sports Net Retweeted. But like L.A., they have complete faith now that Lincoln Riley will deliver. Some were convinced hed leave for Louisiana State. DW Rutledge. Usually, you build those relationships, and youre going to have a successful program., Top Returners: Irvin Torres, Brennen Davis, Zach Hasley, Jacob Reyes, Matt Fabela. Watch the latest highlight videos for the Muleshoe Varsity Football team While Riley stayed loyal to McNeill, he also wanted to make sure his next jump was the proper one. Anyhow, Riley wanted to be a college quarterback, but a shoulder dislocation kept him from reaching that potential. Richards maintained most of the coaching staff while hiring on four new coaches, all of whom either have a connection to Muleshoe or a general knowledge of west Texas. Seems that back when Riley. His mind was just brilliant. He felt that it was a good opportunity for him. While other small Texas towns have faded off the map, the dairy business has kept Muleshoes population hovering steadily around 5,000. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), AgTexas Farm Credit awards $9,000 in local scholarships Muleshoe Journal | Intl' Scholarship News, AgTexas Farm Credit awards $9,000 in local scholarships. How the deluge of 1938 changed Los Angeles and its river, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles. He wanted to win in the classroom like he won on the field.". Hes the person who has a spare second for those wanting to talk to him during visits home. 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