And maybe after a few recruiting classes keeping Southern California talent at home Riley will be in a better position to take down the goliaths of the SEC by facing them in the playoff rather than tussling with them during the entire regular season. 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. Back in the early 1980s, Horsley starred on television as Texas oilman Matt Houston, who doubled as a private investigator. 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. "He wasn't a blue-chip athlete," Wood said. "He knew where every kid was supposed to be on every play," the coach said. Herald-Times. For the Rileys, its a new lifestyle. He was a defensive end as a sophomore, but took over the offense in his final two seasons which included one state semifinal finish. Gonzalez, Donavan ( Jr.) Vasquez, Uriel ( Sr.) Morales, Aaron ( So.) School was. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. 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. Hidden facts about Muleshoe, the best restaurants discovered while recruiting and plenty more fun with Coach Riley on this week's Fifth Quarter! Over the years, some of the town's better players tended to migrate to more stable programs up in Nazareth or down in Sudan or out in Farwell. "That's a good question," he said. All rights reserved. Riley showed the coaches just enough that he was invited to join the team in January. Access your Muleshoe Journal e-edition or subscribe here. Like most everyone in town, restaurant owner Victor Leal has a favorite story about his favorite college football coach. if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'easternnewmexiconews_com-box-2','ezslot_3',128,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-easternnewmexiconews_com-box-2-0'); Oklahoma University head football coach Lincoln Riley raises the Big 12 Championship trophy after the Sooners beat TCU 41-17 in the conference title game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas last December. We were so close in age, it became a friendship, but he was a friend I respected. For many coaches, its difficult to turn the football mind off. "We were Tech fans here because it's close," Todd, the undertaker, announced. No new houses, he says, have been built in 15 years. I just knew there were things I wanted to try to do. Editor's note: This story was originally published on August 10, 2017. Mayfield and Murray became the No. In the beginning, it was because he was the only guy that was around to watch film with me.. 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. And sometimes he'd double back and explain to me what I was missing.". The following season, Muleshoe went 15-0 and won its only state championship. Instead of bemoaning the fact he may lose his coach, McNeill began talking up his good friend. When Lincoln attended Texas Tech, about 70 miles northwest of their home, the Rileys cheered for the Red Raiders. Hes a great, great dad, Caitlin Riley said. Continue reading to hear more about OU's youthful coach. "It's just this year's team," he said. Donnie trained both of us and patience was a big thing, McNeill said about coaching transitions. It's also home to two of the greatest offensive minds in college football. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns in last April's NFL Draft. Seems that back when Riley. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman. Each of the thousands of bales waiting to be loaded and shipped off weighs up to 500 pounds. Lincoln, theyll tell you, couldve been anything. 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. "I think I took things from him and a lot of my coaches. Mike and Marilyn Riley had to settle for the revelry generated in their hometown. Muleshoe Sports Net Retweeted. 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. People know each other. Rodriguez, Alan ( Jr.) Lopez, Jaxher ( Jr.) Dominguez, Ryan ( So.) A rocket scientist. High, a West Texas town of 5,000. All four quarterbacks are in the top five for passing yards in a season. We are very excited after a lengthy process to introduce Jason Richards and his fianc Miss Angela Scott, said Curtis Preston, president of MISD Board of Trustees. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. He just knew the game. The Mules won one game in Wood's first season, then five the next, giving Muleshoe its first. Oklahomas issue during those seasons was its porous defense, but, during the last two years, its offense sputtered (at least living up to its ridiculous standards), as Riley struggled to work his magic on five-star quarterback prospects Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams Jr. Look, when 10-2 is your down year, youre doing pretty well. No matter how Riley and the Sooners fare, the 105-year-old town of Muleshoe will be proud of him. 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. Its hard to imagine a place any further away from Los Angeles. That number barely fields a varsity team. The Mules won one game in Woods first season, then five the next, giving Muleshoe its first non-losing season in two decades. I really saw his potential to be a rocket scientist, Wood said in 2015. 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. Who can help student-athletes cash in? Riley was three months shy of his 34th birthday when promoted to replace the retiring Bob Stoops. 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. Former Mules quarterback Lincoln Riley . Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. Cattle ranching, dairy farming, wheat, cotton. He had a big following when he was coming through high school. 4:13. It was so sudden, Graves says. But Muleshoe wanted discipline, he said. Heres little po-dunk Muleshoe playing in the [Dallas] Cowboys stadium, said Wood, whos now retired. A newspaper article from the Clovis News Journal about USC coach Lincoln Riley during his high school days is on display at his parents home in Muleshoe, Texas. A statue of Old Pete stands near Muleshoes only stoplight and celebrates the role of the mule in Texas history. It didn't take much, however, to get his competitive football juices flowing in Lubbock. J. Brady McCollough is a sports enterprise reporter for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on national college football and basketball topics. Pride Football camp starts Monday morning. As you might expect, Runnels, who could double as a one-woman Chamber of Commerce, has a special sweet spot for Riley. No telling if the city founders had any inkling the name might itself become a celebrity of sorts. 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. 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 took the whip smart but physically limited quarterback aside and asked him to be a student assistant coach. 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. 2003. No one thought it was possible, Riley remembers. Head Boys Powerlifting Coach Jaxon Lee. He bought us steak knives with Harrell engraved in them, Harrell said. Everyone's a hero in a small town, Wood said. Ive never been afraid to go against the grain if I felt like it was the best thing for the team, for the program. Lincoln is also well-known for being the Oklahoma Sooners' head football coach. They embraced whats good for it. CALL. It wont be long, Wood assures. He's been too busy. A Muleshoe Mule is coaching the Sooners. Call. Whatever he chose to do, hed be something special. The streak ends this year. Please subscribe to keep reading. Dont change anything.. We were huge Muleshoe fans.. 877-845-6272. Watch film with intensity, remember so much about the film, most kids would not remember. Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. Riley caught Wood's eye as a seventh-grader. After two seasons as the Head Football Coach/Athletic Director at Muleshoe High School, Lee Walker has been reassigned. , Victor marveled at how much time the older brother spent tutoring elementary school aged Garrett on the football field. Over time, some of the Riley stories from those days have come to drift into tall tales, depending on whos telling them. Riley isn't coaching at the nearby college -- Texas Tech -- long-favored by most of his hometown folks, is an inconvenient truth. Volunteer. This is a compilation of Muleshoe high school football coach history. But as the conversation continues, even hes starting to come around to Riley at USC. Riley shadowed Leach, a noted night owl, as much as he could. Riley has surpassed actor Lee Horsley as Muleshoe's most famous son. And then there are the obligatory obits about friends and neighbors. Take a stroll along Main Street in Muleshoe; pay your respects to Old Pete, the mule monument standing guard near Muleshoes only stoplight; hit the livestock auction just outside of town; and maybe stop for a tamale or two during the lunch rush at Leals, the towns beloved gathering spot, and youll start to understand what they mean. 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. Life is too short, so dont be afraid to go for it., USC coach Lincoln Riley on leaving his small hometown of Muleshoe, Texas. Davis will be Muleshoes defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after previously being at Texico (New Mexico) High School. Hell never forget his roots, Muleshoe Mayor Cliff Black said last week. USC coach Lincoln Riley remains a celebrated figure in the Muleshoe High football program. So how'd he end up as Oklahoma's headcoach? Mike and Marilyn returned home from Austin soon after graduation and eventually took over family-owned cotton warehouses in neighboring Sudan. Momentum was building, and at quarterback, the attention turned to Riley, who Wood says was set to take the reins as a sophomore. Here's a look back at his Muleshoe, Texas roots. Lincoln and I had many thoughts he prepared us that way. His family has always been a great part of the community.. 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. New WIC On Wheels set to travel to Bailey, other counties, Republican candidate for District 19 primary has clear leadership goals. Lincolns father, Mike, ran the familys cotton compress and warehouse in the nearby town of Sudan, putting Lincoln and his younger brother, Garrett, to work hauling bales of cotton via forklift in the hot Texas sun. David Wood was Rileys high school football coach. Hes got size, hes got a great family.. Things always change year to year in college football and that's one of the things we enjoy. The crowd roared. For years, Magann's favorite Muletrain story focused on a local who grew tulip bulbs in a cotton field and shipped them to the Netherlands. Oklahoma mightve tested their allegiances as Texans, but Norman was still the Great Plains. During the season, itll be harder because hell be gone before they are awake and theyll be asleep before he gets home. 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. Which brings us to our next topic . Still, the savvy proprietor of the town's only cable station can't possibly know what stories might fall into her lap for the three times a week Muletrain report on her family-operated Channel 6. Leach took to introducing Riley, then 23, as the youngest full-time major college assistant coach in the country. He always has. Small town, feels like he's their own. The Riley family came before most other fixtures in Muleshoe, settling in town in the 1930s, not long after the town was incorporated. When he'd watch film he'd just remember defenses and what not. Ellis, the mayor, says it felt just like the movies. For a small West Texas town obsessed with football, it was unforgettable. Two years into that gig, Riley found himself promoted to head coach when Stoops unexpectedly retired in June of 2017. The Sooners coach listens to many different genres. Rileys coaching success has been anchored by a spread-it-out, fast-paced attack. Here are five things every fan should know about the Trojans' new coach. ", 521 Pile StreetClovis, NM 88102Ph: (575) 763-3431, Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation 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. Maybe even an astronaut. Years later, when asked what hed learned from Wood, Riley wouldnt hesitate to draw parallels to the situation he now steps into at USC. 3 games every Oklahoma fan should circle on the calendar; full season predictions for 2017. 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. Almost seven decades later, another 18-year-old in Muleshoe was ready to find his way, and the folks from Lincoln Riley's hometown swear he could see anything in the world, just ahead of him. He was all for it.. Today, he contends that their prank, now a part of town lore, was delayed payback for Friona painting the previous seasons score all over Muleshoes own weight room. I just knew there were things I wanted to try to do, he says. Riley's wife Caitlin is also pure West Texas, even if she's not from Muleshoe. Wood began with a program that fielded 22 players in a school of about 450 students. One person he depended on during this time was the late Donnie Duncan, a former Oklahoma athletic director. Lo and behold, we get there in the team meeting and Lincoln was told, Coach (Leach) isnt coaching this game and guess what? But as he and his wife considered the idea, Riley thought of his daughters. On a recent late-night broadcast of ESPN's Sports Center, anchor Neil Everett said, "When it comes to college football coaches, there's Nick Saban and there's everyone else.". 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. Weve been busy, but weve enjoyed every day., I cover the University of Oklahoma football and mens basketball teams. Oklahoma University head football coach Lincoln Riley raises the Big 12 Championship trophy after the Sooners beat TCU 41-17 in the conference title game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas last December. The town is quiet on a recent Saturday afternoon as Colt Ellis, Muleshoes 31-year-old mayor, locks up at the family funeral home and leads an out-of-town visitor on a tour in his pick-up truck. Ellis is the third generation to run the funeral home, which his grandfather opened in 1959. He has other big ideas to move Muleshoe forward. Kind of overwhelmed. As a junior in 2000 he helped the Mules reach the state semifinals, where they lost to Forney at the Dallas Cowboys' old home Texas Stadium in Irving. 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