"I think we've got enough to do some great things, but a lot's gotta happen between now and then. "I think grit, never giving up and just playing . Riley started in the fifth grade, both officially and in backyard games with neighborhood children. With a coach of Rileys pedigree now leading the Trojans, the Pac-12 is unquestionably now USCs for the taking in the coming years. Over time, some of the Riley stories from those days have come to drift into tall tales, depending on whos telling them. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley already has made inroads in Southern California football recruiting, which should help him bolster USCs talent pool. Good call. There are many friendship threads in Rileys small hometown of nearly 6,000. Here in Muleshoe, the stunning news of Rileys sudden departure to USC late last month was greeted mostly with sideways glances. Honest, hard-working people. Ellis, the mayor, says it felt just like the movies. For a small West Texas town obsessed with football, it was unforgettable. I am a Haskell Indian Nations University graduate. It was a Sunday afternoon game decided by a Hail Mary on the final play. Alcohol sales were first allowed in the town just three years ago and to this day some respected folks still remain wary of setting foot inside the bar. Flashback: Lincoln Riley's hometown thought he would work for NASA. The Rennels' house on West 3rd Street is conveniently located just down from Muleshoe High, whose Friday night football games the station videotapes for continuous airings on Saturdays and Sundays. It's just that they have their own homegrown hero Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley. Of course, some weeks are slower than others in this farming town of 5,000, located 70 flat, High Plains miles northwest of Lubbock. 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. 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 is a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive end for the Mules football team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Which brings us to our next topic . Were not allowed to talk about the wind in my program. Momentum was building, and at quarterback, the attention turned to Riley, who Wood says was set to take the reins as a sophomore. We still attended all the games. Head coach Jason Richards hopes that preseason growth can be turned into regular-season success. The couple was on a tight timeline as Scott was scheduled to catch a 5 a.m. plane the next morning so that she could get to a softball game set for 1 p.m. the next day. Rogers returned in 1934, an international celebrity. Maybe even a national title. There are high expectations. "It was a great place to grow up," Riley said on Wednesday afternoon during a telephone interview with The Eastern New Mexico News. Later, when his younger brother, Garrett, quarterbacked the team, Wood consulted with Lincoln about their offense. (Reyes) is a stud. How can a West Texas boy go to L.A.? asked David Wood, who coached Riley at Muleshoe High. Hes a great, great dad, Caitlin Riley said. You know everybody. It's also home to two of the greatest offensive minds in college football. 12.8K views. The only time they were away was when they attended the University of Texas. "It's quite an accolade to say I was able to be a part of his life," Wood said. Hes the young man who helped his alma mater install the spread offense, which led the Mules to a 2008 state championship. Riley isn't coaching at the nearby college -- Texas Tech -- long-favored by most of his hometown folks, is an inconvenient truth. "Surely not an everyday event in these parts.". Harrell told The Times, Really Lincoln was the first person that taught me Mike Leachs offense. Muleshoe coach Jason Richards discusses the touchdown run that sparked comeback. Heres little po-dunk Muleshoe playing in the [Dallas] Cowboys stadium, said Wood, whos now retired. Never thought about it growing up, Mike Riley said. By Gail M. Williams Riley caught Wood's eye as a seventh-grader. He has two daughters Sloan and Stella with Caitlin, the love of his life. Richards noted the juniors ability to play wide receiver, running back and quarterback on offense as well as defensive back on defense. 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. But everyone here trusts Lincoln. USC coach Lincoln Riley remains a celebrated figure in the Muleshoe High football program. 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. Former Mules quarterback Lincoln Riley . Riley is a quarterback whisperer, and Southern California is a five-star quarterback assembly line. "We'll see," Riley said. Im fired up. Richards comes to Muleshoe from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, where he served as offensive coordinator. But Ellis knows patience is an important part of his job description. Just do what got you here, Riley said. Riley already has plenty of quality head-coaching experience behind him, plus a hefty new contract approved by the school last month. "He knew where every kid was supposed to be on every play," the coach said. Mules, just as his father Mike had done three decades earlier. 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 wasnt afraid to change things up, to do things different from what had been done there. Im not a big Longhorn fan right now, thats for sure.. Of course, it will be up to Riley to decide if he wants a fresh start with the Trojans quarterback room. Riley is a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive end for the Mules football team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Upon the completion of his degree in 2012, he was named the running backs coach at Augustana College in Illinois. A Muleshoe Mule is coaching the Sooners. It's also home to two of the greatest offensive minds in college football. A doctor. There was a problem saving your notification. "He had great math skills, intelligence and a photographic memory, stuff that you just don't see.". Small town, feels like he's their own. Many of those lakes that Will Rogers saw in the 19th century have now dried out, but the area is prime for agriculture. He was just brilliant. Lincoln Riley isnt surprised by the towns confusion. 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 . There was a reason theyd come this far. With him, that hasnt been forgotten.. That plains was the prettiest country I ever saw in my life, as flat as a beauty contest winner's stomach, and prairie lakes scattered all over it. Donnie trained both of us and patience was a big thing, McNeill said about coaching transitions. Call. ", Riley was named the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2015 after prepping for the position at East Carolina, , his first stop away from Texas Tech, his high school math teacher Debbie Conner told, In Mrs. Conner's honors math class, Riley, routinely dissected problems using shortcuts she never considered and. One newcomer Richards is excited about is Nic Reyes, a 5-foot-11, 275-pound sophomore offensive lineman. 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. I really saw his potential to be a rocket scientist, Wood said in 2015. David Wood was Riley's high school football coach. Oklahoma mightve tested their allegiances as Texans, but Norman was still the Great Plains. Some people dont desire to be a head coach. Lincoln Riley Oklahomas new head football coach recently greeted everyone with a smile at Leals Restaurant off the main drag in Muleshoe, Texas. In 2017, once Riley took the reins from Stoops, Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff semifinals. No telling if the city founders had any inkling the name might itself become a celebrity of sorts. One is USC head coach. Few believed it at first. 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. Stoops said he wouldnt have retired this offseason if not for his confidence in Riley. 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. Life is too short, so dont be afraid to go for it., USC coach Lincoln Riley on leaving his small hometown of Muleshoe, Texas. Muleshoe Journal Correspondent. The Mules are set to kickoff the 2021 football team on Friday night by hosting Sundown. 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. (Staff / The Dallas Morning News, courtesy), Are these Rangers good? Hal Mumme was the head coach at McMurry University in Abilene, which is about three hours from Muleshoe. Find content for all Muleshoe Mules' Football teams covered by MaxPreps over the years. Greatness, yes. Some were convinced hed leave for Louisiana State. Still, they somehow became aware of each other at basketball games while playing for rival high schools. You can cancel at any time. It was kind of fun to be there at the beginning.". 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. But growing up, he always knew that he would leave. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel View Comments Coaches came and went. All rights reserved. It was a fortuitous first step on a coaching ladder that has led him to. A lot of times when people get success at a young age, the humble factor tends to get put on the backburner, Simmons said. Volunteer. If youre at home, youre trying to be the best son, daughter. Watch film with intensity, remember so much about the film, most kids would not remember. Muleshoe will be Richards first athletic director and head football coaching position. Wes Wood, the coachs son who led the Mules to a state title as quarterback in 2008, said that season cemented Riley as his childhood hero. His grandfather, Claude, was the first, leading the Mules to an undefeated season in 1938. He got an early start, Leach told the Tulsa World last month. Coaches came and went. 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.. Mayfield and Murray became the No. McNeill, who accepted the head coaching position at East Carolina, hired Riley to be his offensive coordinator. But in high school, there were only a few shotgun sets, and the Mules ran a Power-I attack. Wood always saw the mind of a coach when Riley was one of his players. He was just more of a kid that soaked it all in. As a quarterback, Wood says, his intellect was his greatest asset. But Muleshoe wanted discipline, he said. Did Riley envision himself as a future coach? Young kids look up to the varsity kids. Others speculate he wanted nothing to do with the Southeastern Conference. Ask anyone in Muleshoe about Lincoln, whose first name is enough around these parts, and they swell with pride. When he announced it was Oklahoma, I thought, that would be a good place for him to be a head coach, too.'. That was pretty exciting.. HomeDirectoryPhotosAboutContactAdvertise. He used to be a defensive end Lincoln Riley didnt start his Muleshoe High School playing career as a quarterback. Makes a lot of people feel good., Wood -- who also coached Lincoln's brother, Garrett, when the Mules won the 2008 Class 2A Division I state championship with the younger Riley quarterbacking -- said he was surprised that Stoops stepped down, but didn't surprise me (OU) named Lincoln the head coach. He wasnt afraid to change things up, to do things different from what had been done there. Its something that weve both always wanted, Caitlin Riley said. He could think on the field unlike anybody else. Hes the person who has a spare second for those wanting to talk to him during visits home. Riley was on the football and track teams at Muleshoe (Tex.) Jeremiah Barron struggled with injuries last season, but also has the potential to be a versatile player for Muleshoe. In 1999, with Riley as a sophomore lineman, Wood began tinkering with a shotgun offense that called for more passing and demanded a quick-thinking triggerman. While the Sooners did not recruit as much in the Southland in Rileys first five years in Norman, theyve made camp in recent years, pulling commitments in the last year from some of the top offensive talent in the region 2022 five-star Santa Ana Mater Dei running back Raleek Brown, 2023 five-star Los Alamitos quarterback Malachi Nelson (the top quarterback in his class), 2023 five-star Los Alamitos athlete Makai Lemon and 2023 four-star Los Alamitos receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. Those players could switch their commitments to USC soon enough, and there will be more local players and coaches taking immediate notice of Riley putting down roots in Los Angeles to restore the proud tradition of the USC program. She's from Dimmitt, 45 miles away. He was all for it.. The theories are numerous, but some here who know the Rileys wonder if the sprawl of Los Angeles might offer a semblance of anonymity. Getting Darrell Davis, one of Richards high school football coaches, was something both men have been talking about for 15 years and have made happen. Overnight, the youngest head coach in major college football hailed from the West Texas speck on the map that fell into Channel 6's market. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley yells from the sideline during a game. I just wanted to build on people that wanted to be in Muleshoe and want to get things going again.. 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. In a back corner booth at Leals, where cowboy hats line the front walkway and tables are filling ahead of the lunch rush, Bob Graves is still sorting out his emotions over fresh-baked tortilla chips. Rileys coaching success has been anchored by a spread-it-out, fast-paced attack. One person he depended on during this time was the late Donnie Duncan, a former Oklahoma athletic director. 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