"It was a great place to grow up," Riley said on Wednesday afternoon during a telephone interview with The Eastern New Mexico News. Few will ever forget Riley leading the Mules at Texas Stadium. 1. Small town, feels like he's their own. Riley also played basketball, baseball and ran track during his youth and high school days, but it was football that piqued his interest. Mike Leach and his Texas Tech Red Raiders were only an hour away, and Lincoln had already traded his helmet for a coaching whistle as a GA by the time Garrett was ready to be the starting quarterback back home. New USC football coach Lincoln Riley grew up in Muleshoe, Texas. He was a defensive end as a sophomore, but took over the offense in his final two seasons which included one state semifinal finish. (Reyes) is a stud. Call. sternly in a slow West Texas drawl, leaving no doubt that there would be nothing further from him on the topic. It wont be long, Wood assures. Learn how this Muleshoe High School student is connecting with coaches in TX and nationwide. A doctor. The Mules only return one all-district player in wide receiver Irvin Torres. "It runs how long it needs to," Rennels said. 3 games every Oklahoma fan should circle on the calendar; full season predictions for 2017. The streak ends this year. Did Riley envision himself as a future coach? "It's quite an accolade to say I was able to be a part of his life," Wood said. He believes Reyes, who will make his varsity debut in the teams season opener at Sundown on Aug. 28, could be one of the best offensive linemen hes ever coached. BREAKING after two seasons Muleshoe has reassigned HFC/AD Lee Walker, Muleshoe is open #txhsfb @dctf. It was a Sunday afternoon game decided by a Hail Mary on the final play. When he announced it was Oklahoma, I thought, that would be a good place for him to be a head coach, too.'. You're shaped by your experiences," Riley said. Riley showed the coaches just enough that he was invited to join the team in January. Stitt expresses 'strong disagreement' with Oklahoma AG over Catholic charter school, Bill Haisten: A massive event NCAA wrestling in downtown Tulsa, Lincoln Riley: 12 things you may not know about the OU football coach, Big 12 Media Days: After a whirlwind month, new OU coach Lincoln Riley takes center stage, Dan Snyder is under investigation over line of credit taken out by Commanders, Lionel Messi named men's Player of the Year at the 2022 Best FIFA Awards, LeBron James is facing weeks on the sidelines after foot injury, "I am scared of needlesr" Lillard on getting a drug test after his 71-point game. Its probably one of the most supportive communities youll find in the state of Texas, said Richards, who had been Flour Bluffs offensive coordinator for the past five seasons. Last week's scrimmage against Olton showed the growth the Muleshoe football team has made over the last year. Years later, when asked what hed learned from Wood, Riley wouldnt hesitate to draw parallels to the situation he now steps into at USC. Rileys work ethic and confident mindset were instilled by his parents. Some people dont desire to be a head coach. Aaron Simon, an Angelo State University graduate whos been coaching with Richards for the past nine years, will be the Mules offensive line and associate head coach, while Portales, New Mexico native Chris Mosier the step-brother of former Mule standout receiver Kyle Atwood was hired as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. Never mind that Riley was only 19 years old. What had been done was history or tradition or how theyd always done it, but it wasnt working. 12 and led the Mules to a state semifinal finish his senior season. When he'd watch film he'd just remember defenses and what not. 1. Ask anyone in Muleshoe about Lincoln, whose first name is enough around these parts, and they swell with pride. Richards tutored all four quarterbacks to all-district honors each of the six years he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Suddenly Muletrain was competing with SportsCenter for eyeballs. Richards went on to lead. ", Three Oklahoma stars to keep an eye on in 2017 season, Watch for these three Oklahoma players to have breakout seasons in 2017. In years past, he has made it back to Muleshoe every summer. Riley isn't coaching at the nearby college -- Texas Tech -- long-favored by most of his hometown folks, is an inconvenient truth. Not that the folks of Muleshoe don't respect Saban and what he's done for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The older he got is when I was more impressed with him. 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. 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. Riley already has plenty of quality head-coaching experience behind him, plus a hefty new contract approved by the school last month. Muleshoe's high-powered offense is led by junior running back Daniel Sianez (579 yards, 6 TD) and the senior wide receiver duo of Ivan Torres (27 receptions, 293 yards, 2 TD) and Eliasar . A few years later, Leach offered Riley a full-time job as a wide receivers coach. Its like Christmas Eve and Im 6 years old. But after Riley walked on at Texas Tech, then-Red Raiders coach Mike Leach encouraged him to get off . "He loved the job and was used to working for nothing.". This is a 33-year-old who grew up in a rural west Texas town known for its unique name, faith, family and football. "Everybody knew everybody. Here's a look back at his Muleshoe, Texas roots. A Muleshoe Mule is coaching the Sooners. From what I understand, Graves says, he wants to build his own program.. But growing up, he always knew that he would leave. Richards comes to Muleshoe from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, where he served as offensive coordinator. 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. ".. It's been hectic. By Gail M. Williams A Muleshoe Mule is coaching the Sooners. "I think grit, never giving up and just playing . USC sent shock waves through the sports world when it hired Oklahomas Lincoln Riley as its football coach. I knew he was headed somewhere, said Wood. to try to lead the Mules out of the desert. McNeill, who accepted the head coaching position at East Carolina, hired Riley to be his offensive coordinator. Im sure hes got a pretty nice home now, making what hes making., Its possible that Riley has been keeping up with USC from afar given his affinity for Harrell. One of those guys, not necessarily write things down. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, USC hires Lincoln Riley: Complete coverage of Trojans shocking coaching move, extended this week all the way to the state Senate, Lincoln Riley jetted for USC, and Oklahoma is left to furiously wonder why, Breaking down the USC roster Lincoln Riley inherits, Rileys arrival signifies a triumphant return, USC football coaches: Glory and gaffes, from Gloomy Gus to Lincoln Riley, Roundtable: Our March Madness projections for UCLA, USC and others. Lincoln and I had many thoughts he prepared us that way. They are high-integrity people who recruit the right way and have a unique ability to work with players on and off the field.. Riley is a small-town guy, but clearly hes up for an adventure. Oklahoma cap at lunch alongside Marilyn on Muleshoe's main drag. People know each other. Sure, maybe they wouldnt have chosen California as their favorite sons next step. What should student loan borrowers do while waiting for Supreme Court forgiveness ruling? Yet, with the aplomb of a seasoned coaching veteran, he guided Oklahoma to a Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. 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. He was just more of a kid that soaked it all in. Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach saw that same attribute in Riley. Hes going to kind of do everything.. David Wood was Riley's high school football coach. I just knew there were things I wanted to try to do. Hes well-versed on David Woods success with the Mules, which included a 2008 state championship. Ellis is hoping to change that with plans for a new development on the edge of town, a project he hopes might convince folks fleeing Lubbock, 70 miles to the southeast, to take refuge in small-town living. That includes a winless 2019 season and missing the playoffs the past two years. in 1969, the Mules scored a single touchdown during the entire season. Of course, some weeks are slower than others in this farming town of 5,000, located 70 flat, High Plains miles northwest of Lubbock. He is the former high school quarterback who wore No. Lincoln, theyll tell you, couldve been anything. Junior High Coordinator Ross Johnson. The new coach inherited around two dozen players, barely enough to field a full team, and the program was plagued by a lack of discipline. Rileys coaching success has been anchored by a spread-it-out, fast-paced attack. But in high school, there were only a few shotgun sets, and the Mules ran a Power-I attack. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Once he sees something, hell never forget it.. "I think I took things from him and a lot of my coaches. But Riley is still so young in the profession, and the longer he stayed in Norman, the more he risked the fan bases appreciation of him running dry. And then there are the obligatory obits about friends and neighbors. The whole town packed into the high school gym that day, glowing as Riley spoke. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley answers a question during a news conference in August. Anyhow, Riley wanted to be a college quarterback, but a shoulder dislocation kept him from reaching that potential. "But he was the kind of athlete you wanted running the show. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. He had a great knack for stuff like that.. (An even smaller coincidence my step dad and Riley are apparently distant, distant cousins). Find content for all Muleshoe Mules' Football teams covered by MaxPreps over the years. Muleshoe ultimately fell short in the state semifinals, losing handily to Forney High, a much larger school, 41-17. Muleshoe went 1-19 in the two years preceding head coach Jason Richards' arrival. 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. Here in Muleshoe, the stunning news of Rileys sudden departure to USC late last month was greeted mostly with sideways glances. 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