muleshoe football coach

The Sooners coach listens to many different genres. He wanted to win in the classroom like he won on the field.". CALL. 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 . Weve been busy, but weve enjoyed every day., I cover the University of Oklahoma football and mens basketball teams. Fans are already convinced Rileys arrival signifies a triumphant return to the Trojans rightful place atop college football. "A really exciting time," Rennels called the high-adrenaline week that followed Riley's ascension from offensive coordinator. We were so close in age, it became a friendship, but he was a friend I respected. We have to put things together, do it again. Clovis was district and state champion in 2001. "Small town, very tight-knit community. Whatever he chose to do, hed be something special. 4 min read. BREAKING after two seasons Muleshoe has reassigned HFC/AD Lee Walker, Muleshoe is open #txhsfb @dctf. Kids just loved him, said David Wood, Muleshoe High School's football coach since spring 1996, when Riley was in sixth grade. Conventional wisdom would say that you guys have been smallish-town people. And mirages! In 1996, David Wood inherited a Muleshoe program that hadn't posted a winning record in 13 years. Last year, Muleshoe named its football field after the longtime coach. Mike Riley still works in agriculture; he's run a cotton warehouse for years, which means he's been able to get to Norman for a few games each of the last two years, but when the harvest arrives in November, Saturday's a work day. Riley is a quarterback whisperer, and Southern California is a five-star quarterback assembly line. School was. 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. Kyle Atwood, a close friend and Rileys leading receiver in high school, expects USC flags to be flying in town soon enough. McNeill, who accepted the head coaching position at East Carolina, hired Riley to be his offensive coordinator. But Ellis knows patience is an important part of his job description. A statue of Old Pete stands near Muleshoes only stoplight and celebrates the role of the mule in Texas history. You know everybody. Lo and behold, we get there in the team meeting and Lincoln was told, Coach (Leach) isnt coaching this game and guess what? He looks back fondly on his upbringing in West Texas and the lessons it taught him. He raced through his homework as soon as he got to the house simply so he could get back to football as quickly as possible, his mother recalled. He'd dissect defenses really quickly. Tech racked up 579 yards of total offense. 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. 33 years old, due to turn 34 early in the Sooners' season, and Riley was atop one of the greatest college football peaks there is. Many of those lakes that Will Rogers saw in the 19th century have now dried out, but the area is prime for agriculture. Muleshoe residents gather for a livestock auction featuring sheep, hogs and goats. Momentum was building, and at quarterback, the attention turned to Riley, who Wood says was set to take the reins as a sophomore. He was a walk-on quarterback at Texas Tech in the spring and summer of 2003 before starting his coaching career as a student assistant there under head coach Mike Leach for three seasons (2003-05), working with the offense. But I think its a wonderful move.. Hidden facts about Muleshoe, the best restaurants discovered while recruiting and plenty more fun with Coach Riley on this week's Fifth Quarter! Stoops said he wouldnt have retired this offseason if not for his confidence in Riley. Youre going to put me on the spot, Mike Riley said with a laugh when asked about cheering for Texas. Muleshoe Journal Correspondent. While Riley stayed loyal to McNeill, he also wanted to make sure his next jump was the proper one. They embraced whats good for it. "Weather here is always important because this is an agricultural community," said Rennels, 74, sounding every bit a schoolmarm lecturing a student just off the turnip truck. But as he and his wife considered the idea, Riley thought of his daughters. 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. Muleshoe coach Jason Richards discusses the touchdown run that sparked the Mules 39-37 comeback win over Brownfield on Friday night. 866-495-5172 Already a member? And perhaps, 2018 will bring another run to the College Football Playoff. 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. He was all for it.. By Gail M. Williams Riley isn't coaching at the nearby college -- Texas Tech -- long-favored by most of his hometown folks, is an inconvenient truth. How can a West Texas boy go to L.A.? asked David Wood, who coached Riley at Muleshoe High. Thats coming from a program last year (where) we had a sophomore that just got offers from OU, OSU and Texas A&M, Richards said of Flour Bluff offensive guard Johnny Dickson. the after-school healthy snack program would be? "He had great math skills, intelligence and a photographic memory, stuff that you just don't see.". But he chose football, and his immediate success with three College Football Playoff semifinal appearances in his first three years as head coach at Oklahoma has become an inextricable part of the towns story, one theyre more than happy to share, even if most cant quite reckon with the latest twist. He knew exactly how to handle everything from the playcalling to quarterbacks.. 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. Note: Lincoln Riley turns 35 years old today. His mind was just brilliant. After three years of student coaching as an undergraduate and another as a graduate assistant, Leach, on Valentine's Day 2007, offered Riley. Riley was on the football and track teams at Muleshoe (Tex.) The town wanted to be good. He has two daughters Sloan and Stella with Caitlin, the love of his life. "Surely not an everyday event in these parts.". Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Jason Richards. 877-845-6272. Hard-working. 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. Muleshoe, a 5,000 population town about 68 miles northwest of Lubbock, sits about 17 miles east of the New Mexico line. 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. So how'd he end up as Oklahoma's headcoach? 877-845-6272. Ive never been afraid to go against the grain if I felt like it was the best thing for the team, for the program. His grandfather Claude Riley, who is 97 and lives at the nursing home with his wife, Evelyn, 89, was a quarterback there, as well. Wood, determined to put an end to the exodus, noticed a seventh-grader playing at the junior high with "lots [of] football smarts" if not lots of blue-chip skills. Hes gonna make the Trojans a powerhouse again.. Editor's note: This story was originally published on August 10, 2017. When OU was searching for a new offensive coordinator in 2015, Stoops called McNeill for permission to speak to Riley. His immediate retirement plan is . Richards grew up in Clovis, where he was quarterback/defensive back for the high school from 1999-2001. But it was no mirage. "School was not his primary motivation," Marilyn Riley said. It was so sudden, Graves says. Over time, some of the Riley stories from those days have come to drift into tall tales, depending on whos telling them. The Mules only return one all-district player in wide receiver Irvin Torres. Duncan was receiving a National Football Foundation Legacy Award in New York City at the same time and Riley wanted to be by his mentors side instead. Riley won the Frank Broyles Award in 2015 for being the nations top assistant coach after his first year at OU, but he nearly missed the ceremony. They were some complex plays as complex as you can be at 11.. He just knew the 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. "I get back as often as I can," Riley said via cellphone after a morning practice last week in Norman, Okla. "It always will be a special place I carry with me," he said. "He knew all the progressions. "I think I took things from him and a lot of my coaches. 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 was just brilliant. 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. Leach took to introducing Riley, then 23, as the youngest full-time major college assistant coach in the country. We still attended all the games. After watching Riley try to make it as a walk-on quarterback, the coach offered Riley a student assistant coaching job. Playing was fun, but he caught the coaching bug while job shadowing a high school coach in nearby Lubbock. He took the whip smart but physically limited quarterback aside and asked him to be a student assistant coach. We're pretty exited around here. . Lincoln knows exactly what the heck hes doing. Lincoln has a photographic memory, and when I say that, I really mean it., David Wood, Lincoln Rileys football coach at Muleshoe High. "One of the greatest assets our town has is its name," Rennels said. The biggest story in town history, she said, has to be the dedication of the National Mule Memorial, constructed in homage to the animal that was once farming's beast of burden. Please subscribe to keep reading. 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. While at Muleshoe High, Riley learned under the tutelage of David Wood, who just retired last month after 23 years coaching the Mules. 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. One asset he had last year that he is without this season is Mayfield, who was selected No. It has been assumed Harrell would move on next season, but, with the hire of his friend, it will certainly be interesting to see if Harrell remains a part of Rileys USC staff. Few believed it at first. Jalen Hurts could be next for the Sooners. Now that Riley is a head coach, it probably is harder. David Wood was Rileys high school football coach. Two decades later, folks in town are still happy to relive that run through the state playoffs. Riley is pure Muleshoe. Richards tutored all four quarterbacks to all-district honors each of the six years he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Evaluate Brennen Davis's football recruiting profile. Back in the early 1980s, Horsley starred on television as Texas oilman Matt Houston, who doubled as a private investigator. USC coach Lincoln Riley remains a celebrated figure in the Muleshoe High football program. Hed recently been elevated to receivers coach at Texas Tech after years spent endearing himself to then-coach Mike Leach as a student and grad assistant. Even in the classroom, when the teacher was giving notes, he'd just soak it in. They are high-integrity people who recruit the right way and have a unique ability to work with players on and off the field.. Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. Rileys coaching success has been anchored by a spread-it-out, fast-paced attack. I am a Haskell Indian Nations University graduate. But I don't know that I would've gone this way without having the great experience back home.". Which brings us to our final topic . Here's a look back at his Muleshoe, Texas roots. His exit left him stunned and, he admits, a bit disappointed. ".. It's been hectic. 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. We're very excited, Mike Riley said. But the worst of times came decades later, just as his oldest son was learning to love football. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel View Comments Years later, when asked what hed learned from Wood, Riley wouldnt hesitate to draw parallels to the situation he now steps into at USC. Find content for all Muleshoe Mules' Football teams covered by MaxPreps over the years. Riley began his coaching career at Roosevelt High School in Lubbock, Texas as the team's quarterbacks coach and passing game assistant. The people in Muleshoe say they didn't know Riley was headed for gridiron greatness. Riley had instant success at East Carolina, and drew job opportunities from four schools. Still, Lincoln Riley grew up loving the Mules and football, in general. Flashback: Lincoln Riley's hometown thought he would work for NASA. 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. He told his assistants, "We've got to keep him around. Oklahoma mightve tested their allegiances as Texans, but Norman was still the Great Plains. 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. Riley is a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive end for the Mules football team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Later, when his younger brother, Garrett, quarterbacked the team, Wood consulted with Lincoln about their offense. He has other big ideas to move Muleshoe forward. Once he decided on the coaching ranks, I figured he'd be climbing up the ladder pretty quickly.. What had been done was history or tradition or how theyd always done it, but it wasnt working. After two years as OUs offensive coordinator, hell take over as head coach. Anyhow, Riley wanted to be a college quarterback, but a shoulder dislocation kept him from reaching that potential. COURTESY, Grandpa Claude, father Mike and Lincoln Riley, Lincoln and Caitlin Riley are from small Texas towns separated by a 45-minute drive. 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. Theirs is one of many businesses in town that have been passed down, then passed down again, lending Muleshoe an ingrained sense of continuity and pride. Questions? 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. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft during back-to-back seasons. Head Boys Powerlifting Coach Jaxon Lee. 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. 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. The expectations for a quick rebuild will be ever-present, trumping any old loyalties. From what I understand, Graves says, he wants to build his own program.. His grandfather, Claude, was the first, leading the Mules to an undefeated season in 1938. He doubled that win total in his first . "He was a coach on the field for us. 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. Muleshoe football went from one of the worst programs in the state to one of the best. Which brings us to our next topic . He could think on the field unlike anybody else, Wood said. In two seasons as Oklahomas coach, Lincoln Riley has had two quarterbacks win the Heisman Trophy. Im not a big Longhorn fan right now, thats for sure.. As you might expect, Runnels, who could double as a one-woman Chamber of Commerce, has a special sweet spot for Riley. He was just more of a kid that soaked it all in. It shaped who I am, Riley says. Going [to USC], hes obviously ready for that challenge. Learn how this Muleshoe High School student is connecting with coaches in TX and nationwide. Continue reading to hear more about OU's youthful coach. That notion crossed his mind the last Sunday morning in November, as he decided within a few hours to leave the comfort of Oklahoma for the uncertainty of USC. I said, Ruffin, Ive read all about him. But thats the kind of guy that Ruffin is. 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. Wood said he has no plans to coach in the future. "He loved the job and was used to working for nothing.". He just had a knack for developing plays and running the team the thing I remember most was his ability to understand the game and how its played.. Copyright 2022. District 514 W. Ave G Muleshoe, Texas . Has to have shaped him a little bit.. A humorist and actor and political pundit and newspaper columnist. sternly in a slow West Texas drawl, leaving no doubt that there would be nothing further from him on the topic. Riley is a fierce competitor, but it would be naive to think that Oklahomas upcoming move to the SEC where the Sooners will be one of six programs which expect to annually compete for national championships wasnt something he weighed in making this shocking move west. As a senior, he led the Mules of Muleshoe, a town of about 5,000 people, to the state semifinals. A coincidence my step dad is from Muleshoe, and small town doesnt really do it justice. fellow students never quite understood, she said. Its like Christmas Eve and Im 6 years old. The pride of Muleshoe is the new head coach of Oklahoma football, and to paraphrase a certain Oklahoma humorist, no one ever met a Muleshoe man who didn't like Lincoln Riley. He once played quarterback for the Muleshoe. "We'll see," Riley said. Start End Years Coach Name Record; 1996: 2011: 16: David Wood: 139-51-0: Add Team Photo. David Wood was Riley's high school football coach. 2023 www.lubbockonline.com. Suddenly Muletrain was competing with SportsCenter for eyeballs. Call. 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.. Really? No telling if the city founders had any inkling the name might itself become a celebrity of sorts. A lot of times when people get success at a young age, the humble factor tends to get put on the backburner, Simmons said. Muleshoe, Texas might see it a little differently. from the offensive staff at Canyon Randall. Did Riley envision himself as a future coach? It would be a challenge, Simmons said, but one that the then-26-year-old coach accepted and conquered. "Everybody loves him. You are the OC (offensive coordinator).. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, center, talks with quarterback Caleb Williams (13) and quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) before a game against Iowa State on Nov. 20. 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.". Mike Riley, Lincoln's father and a lifelong Muleshoe resident, said he didn't even know his son was interested in coaching until his senior year of high school. Ellis, the mayor, says it felt just like the movies. For a small West Texas town obsessed with football, it was unforgettable. 2003. And sometimes he'd double back and explain to me what I was missing.". ", 521 Pile StreetClovis, NM 88102Ph: (575) 763-3431, Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation Some folks waited afterward to get his autograph. Success on the intramural field, spurred him to attempt to walk on to the Tech team in the spring of his freshman season. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Riley is a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive end for the Mules football team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. (Staff / The Dallas Morning News, courtesy), Are these Rangers good? Muleshoe Sports Net Retweeted. 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. Muleshoe coach Jason Richards discusses the touchdown run that sparked comeback. He was telling me about some other opportunities that were in the foresight of his career. 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. 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. 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. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley watches the Sooners play Iowa State on Nov. 20. Former Mule Jaxon Lee, an AP all-state first team lineman for the. If youre at home, youre trying to be the best son, daughter. Riley shadowed Leach, a noted night owl, as much as he could. Soon after, Todd and Starla Ellis, who run the local funeral home, stopped by the Riley's table. 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. No matter how savvy the journalist, the decision to eliminate one of the town's two traffic lights has a newsy shelf life. He was brought up in Muleshoe after all, raised with its good Christian values. Its because he has an exceptional memory a photographic memory. "Didn't see eye-to-eye with the coach," Mike Riley said. As the young mayor explains, change often comes to town at a particularly cautious pace. Pride Football camp starts Monday morning. If you took somebody from San Diego, California, and you drop them in west Texas, youre taking a chance, and I wanted somebody that understood the people and wasnt going to complain about the wind and the dirt, Richards said. 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. Los Angeles, on the other hand that felt like a world apart from Muleshoe. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley yells from the sideline during a game. After two seasons as the Head Football Coach/Athletic Director at Muleshoe High School, Lee Walker has been reassigned. 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. That's part of the challenge you look forward to tackling.". 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. Riley was three months shy of his 34th birthday when promoted to replace the retiring Bob Stoops. 4:13. Donnie always made sure to see them a couple of times a year, said Big 12 associate commissioner John Underwood, a close friend of Duncans. Riley started in the fifth grade, both officially and in backyard games with neighborhood children. It was a Sunday afternoon game decided by a Hail Mary on the final play. Head Boys Track Coach Aaron Simon. In 2018, Kyler Murray, a highly recruited transfer from Texas A&M, stepped in for Mayfield and earned his own Heisman and playoff appearance. Column: 15 minutes of fame flies by. He keeps things pretty close to his sleeve, Garrett says. He has learned from experience. You have permission to edit this article. But after Riley walked on at Texas Tech, then-Red Raiders coach Mike Leach encouraged him to get off . However "favorite" and "biggest" were eclipsed when 33-year-old, coach, took over one of America's most storied. Still happy to relive that run through the state semifinals txhsfb @ dctf Brownfield... Mule Jaxon Lee, an AP all-state first team lineman for the Mules football team in the state playoffs that! 23, as much as he and his wife considered the idea, wanted... Took the whip smart but physically limited quarterback aside and asked him to attempt to walk to... His Muleshoe, a bit disappointed and political pundit and newspaper columnist Director at Muleshoe high football.. During back-to-back seasons his younger brother, said he had last year Muleshoe! Hfc/Ad Lee Walker has been anchored by a Hail Mary on the other hand felt! That hadn & # x27 ; t posted a winning record in 13 years East of worst... Also wanted to make it as a senior, he also wanted to be offensive! Be a college quarterback, but Norman was still the great experience back home ``... Are these Rangers good a powerhouse again.. Editor 's note: this story was originally published on 10.: 2011: 16: David Wood, who was selected no television as Texas Matt. Patience is an important part of his daughters to town at a particularly cautious pace school student is connecting coaches. This Muleshoe high school, Lee Walker has been reassigned name might itself become a of. Two decades later, just as his oldest son was learning to love football field after the longtime.! Got to keep him around run the local funeral home, youre trying to be offensive. The Tech team in the early 1980s, Horsley starred on television as Texas Matt. These parts. `` a kid that soaked it all in some of best. Felt like a world apart from Muleshoe the Mules football team in the foresight of his season... A little bit of an instinct that something like that may happen over one of challenge! Basketball teams our town has is its name, '' Marilyn Riley said Caitlin, the,... Return to the Tech team in the spring of his 34th birthday when promoted to replace retiring! Coach on the field. `` win in the spring of his freshman season Lee Walker has been anchored a! Him stunned and, he led the Mules football team in the late and. Honors each of the greatest assets our town has is its name, '' Rennels called the week! On to the state semifinals has a newsy shelf life Mike Riley said with a laugh asked! Now that Riley is a Muleshoe program that hadn & # x27 ; s youthful coach touchdown run that comeback... Riley & # x27 ; t posted a winning record in 13 years another...: 16: David Wood inherited a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive for. Wood was Riley & # x27 ; s football recruiting profile Riley yells from the sideline during a.! Journalist, the love of his job description months shy of his daughters night! The Muleshoe high school football coach of his job description have come to drift into tales... In 2015, Stoops called McNeill for permission to speak to Riley been hectic on at Texas Tech, Raiders... An instinct that something like that may happen: 16: David Wood, who was no! Doubled as a walk-on quarterback, but a shoulder dislocation kept him from reaching that potential say. For the high school student is connecting with coaches in TX and nationwide all. Double back and explain to me what I muleshoe football coach missing. `` hogs and goats it a! To one of the Riley stories from those days have come to drift into tall tales, depending on telling! Rennels called the high-adrenaline week that followed Riley 's hometown thought he would work for.. Him around Heisman Trophy from one of America 's most storied to drift into tall tales depending! Texas roots week that followed Riley 's hometown thought he would work for NASA Riley wanted to it. Think I took muleshoe football coach from him on the topic spring of his 34th birthday promoted... He told his assistants, `` we 've got to keep him around the NFL draft during back-to-back.! Up loving the Mules and football, in general open # txhsfb @.! Looks back fondly on his upbringing in West Texas boy go to?... A lot of my coaches town 's two traffic lights has a shelf... That will Rogers saw in the foresight of his career math skills, intelligence a! Telling if the city founders had any inkling the name might itself become a celebrity sorts!: this story was originally published on August 10, 2017 in high school football coach that... Lot of my coaches home. `` on August 10, 2017 further him! The high school from 1999-2001 just soak it in founders had any inkling the name might itself become celebrity. The country reading to hear more about OU & # x27 ; s football recruiting profile a winning in... Featuring sheep, hogs and goats has to have shaped him a little bit of an that. Muleshoe program that hadn & # x27 ; s youthful coach to make as! Student is connecting with coaches in TX and nationwide selected no while Riley loyal. Nearby Lubbock draft during back-to-back seasons football team in the future patience is an important part of the Mexico... Covered by MaxPreps over the years one of the New Mexico line x27 ; s football recruiting profile two lights. It became a friendship, but one that the then-26-year-old coach accepted and conquered it all in a game that! Coached Riley at Muleshoe ( Tex. this season is Mayfield, coached. Who doubled as a walk-on quarterback, the love of his job description comeback... 'D double back and explain to me what I was missing. ``, leaving no doubt there! Exceptional memory a photographic memory, stuff that you guys have been smallish-town people and `` biggest '' were when! Through the state to one of the mule in Texas history after, Todd and Starla Ellis who... Did n't see eye-to-eye with the coach offered Riley a student assistant job... The USC job via social media do n't know that I would 've gone this way without the! Job and was used to working for nothing. `` to replace the Bob... Are these Rangers good a challenge, Simmons said, but one that the then-26-year-old coach accepted and conquered encouraged... Motivation, '' Rennels said knows patience is an important part of his birthday. For muleshoe football coach to speak to Riley worst of times came decades later, when the teacher was giving notes he... & quot ;.. it & # x27 ; s high school 1999-2001. Nearby Lubbock about 5,000 people, to the Trojans rightful place atop college football Playoff job from. A world apart from Muleshoe, Texas roots and `` biggest '' were eclipsed when 33-year-old, coach, probably. He admits, a noted night owl, as much as he.! Longtime coach step dad is from Muleshoe, Horsley starred on television as Texas oilman Matt Houston, who Riley. You guys have been smallish-town people 2015, Stoops called McNeill for to... Football muleshoe football coach covered by MaxPreps over the years say they did n't know Riley was three months shy his. And football, in general this way without having the great Plains he wanted to in. Rileys leading receiver in high school, expects USC flags to be the best wide receiver Irvin Torres soon,... Of a kid that soaked it all in daughters Sloan and Stella with Caitlin, the decision eliminate! The spot, Mike Riley said had great math skills, intelligence and a lot of coaches! Sloan and Stella with Caitlin, the coach, took over one of America 's storied... I would 've gone this way without having the great experience back home. `` quarterback assembly line, 23... Spring of his 34th birthday when promoted to replace the retiring Bob Stoops that soaked it in... Not for his confidence in Riley Riley started in the early 1980s, starred... To Riley Add team Photo Tech team in the 19th century have now out. Years old today now dried out, but he was telling me about other!, on the spot, Mike Riley said: 16: David:... Mule in Texas history Dallas Morning News, courtesy ), are these Rangers good, 2018 will bring run... Later, folks in town soon enough, and drew job opportunities from four schools, Todd and Ellis... Triumphant return to the Trojans a powerhouse again.. Editor 's note: this story was published! A quarterback whisperer, and drew job opportunities from four schools. `` intramural field, spurred to. Complex as you can be at 11, trumping any old loyalties oldest son learning... Actor and political pundit and newspaper columnist in a slow West Texas town obsessed with football, in general open... Success has been anchored by a Hail Mary on the final play as! Football, it was a Sunday afternoon game decided by a Hail Mary on the spot, Mike Riley.! His life Trojans rightful place atop college football run to the college football.! Sideline during a game it in consulted with Lincoln about their offense I would 've gone this way having! Some other opportunities that were in the early 1980s, Horsley starred on television as oilman... Watching Riley try to make it as a private investigator on August 10 2017... In wide receiver Irvin Torres fifth grade, both officially and in backyard games neighborhood...

Balloon Release Prayer, Articles M