muleshoe football coach

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 older he got is when I was more impressed with him. from the offensive staff at Canyon Randall. 12.8K views. Jeremiah Barron struggled with injuries last season, but also has the potential to be a versatile player for Muleshoe. 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. When Lincoln attended Texas Tech, about 70 miles northwest of their home, the Rileys cheered for the Red Raiders. Marilyn, his mother who grew up on a Muleshoe farm, and his father, Mike, who came from a family that operated cotton gins among other business ventures, graduated from the University of Texas. Lincoln has a photographic memory, and when I say that, I really mean it.. School was. Like most everyone in town, restaurant owner Victor Leal has a favorite story about his favorite college football coach. How did Lincoln Riley zoom from Muleshoe High School to the Sooners new head coach? Plus, he has the trust of his predecessor. No matter how Riley and the Sooners fare, the 105-year-old town of Muleshoe will be proud of him. Has to have shaped him a little bit.. Riley was on the football and track teams at Muleshoe (Tex.) Over time, some of the Riley stories from those days have come to drift into tall tales, depending on whos telling them. "He wasn't a blue-chip athlete," Wood said. Jalen Hurts could be next for the Sooners. CALL. She's from Dimmitt, 45 miles away. He is the former high school quarterback who wore No. Growing up here, Ellis says, it often felt like you were insulated from the ails of the outside world. He was only a year or two older than me, but he knew the offense. Muleshoe Sports Net Retweeted. If you did they all hail from the Southland then Lincoln Riley probably did, too (and that list doesnt even include Mississippis Matt Corral, who is a possible Heisman Trophy finalist along with Alabamas Bryce Young and Ohio States CJ Stroud.). As a quarterback, Wood says, his intellect was his greatest asset. "But he was the kind of athlete you wanted running the show. What had been done was history or tradition or how theyd always done it, but it wasnt 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. No one thought it was possible, Riley remembers. "I think we've got enough to do some great things, but a lot's gotta happen between now and then. A Texas map on the wall of Muleshoe, Texas head football coach David Wood's office marks the location of their West Texas opponents, Tuesday, August 1, 2017. But I think its a wonderful move.. The selection committee sorted through 112 applications and interviewed six applicants on Jan. 22 and 23 before determining that Richards would be their choice. Mike and Marilyn returned home from Austin soon after graduation and eventually took over family-owned cotton warehouses in neighboring Sudan. Kids just loved him, said David Wood, Muleshoe High School's football coach since spring 1996, when Riley was in sixth grade. The Sooners coach listens to many different genres. Youre going to put me on the spot, Mike Riley said with a laugh when asked about cheering for Texas. No one in Muleshoe was more thrilled with Riley as Oklahomas coach than Graves, who served as the voice of Muleshoe football broadcasts and has been a Sooner fan since 1947. "He loved the job and was used to working for nothing.". Garrett, six years younger than his brother, is currently the quarterbacks coach at, But on this Tuesday, the first day of August, Mike Riley is sporting a crimson. Few believed it at first. No matter what he decided to go into, whether it was coaching or science or math, whatever he wanted to do, I knew he'd be going somewhere and it would be pretty special. And Muleshoe, its a town that backs people from the community. Two decades later, folks in town are still happy to relive that run through the state playoffs. Before he even went to Oklahoma, he was talking to some other major colleges. Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. I had to explain everything to him only once. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. "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 had a great knack for stuff like that.. 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. Momentum was building, and at quarterback, the attention turned to Riley, who Wood says was set to take the reins as a sophomore. He has two daughters Sloan and Stella with Caitlin, the love of his life. His coaching career would soon take off into the stratosphere, leading him to East Carolina, then Oklahoma and now USC, but Riley was already a star in Muleshoe. 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. Watch the latest highlight videos for the Muleshoe Varsity Football team Former Mule Jaxon Lee, an AP all-state first team lineman for the. Riley's wife Caitlin is also pure West Texas, even if she's not from Muleshoe. Still, he opted not to play as a senior. The Mules won one game in Woods first season, then five the next, giving Muleshoe its first non-losing season in two decades. 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. A look at what Lincoln Rileys USC team could look like come the 2022 season. Never mind that Riley was only 19 years old. I knew he'd be the best next coach at a major Division I school. Seeing the Mules football program flourish while learning from his coach, Eric Roanhaus, New Mexicos winningest football coach, added to Richards desire to become a mentor in the football ranks. District 514 W. Ave G Muleshoe, Texas . Conventional wisdom might tell you to stay in that, thats what you do, and I certainly think that wouldve turned out just fine. I certainly wont be afraid to do it here.. But everyone agrees that the boy was uncommonly bright, even if he didnt take notes in class and sometimes skipped his homework. David Wood was Rileys high school football coach. 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. But it's not as if Riley graduated at the top of his high school class. Others speculate he wanted nothing to do with the Southeastern Conference. USC coach Lincoln Riley is introduced as the Trojans new head football coach at the Coliseum on Nov. 29, in front a bustling city backdrop vastly different than where he grew up. David Wood was Riley's high school football coach. I cannot wait to get in here and meet the kids and staff, Richards said. Richards comes to Muleshoe from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, where he served as offensive coordinator. 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. Muleshoe residents gather for a livestock auction featuring sheep, hogs and goats. Muleshoe Mules Varsity Boys Football Muleshoe, TX FOLLOW TEAM 22-23 V. Football Home Schedule Roster Stats Standings Rankings Photos Videos News More / Muleshoe High School Football Muleshoe Football OVERALL 8-4 0.67 Win % DISTRICT 2-2 3rd in District HOME5-0 AWAY3-3 NEUTRAL0-1 PF318 PA345 STREAK1L Contribute to the Team Complete the Schedule ", Three Oklahoma stars to keep an eye on in 2017 season, Watch for these three Oklahoma players to have breakout seasons in 2017. Richards comes to Muleshoe from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, where he served as offensive coordinator. 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. Oklahoma cap at lunch alongside Marilyn on Muleshoe's main drag. Lot of ag people. 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. Richards also knows the talent that has come out of the program, like Riley brothers Lincoln and Garrett. Riley shadowed Leach, a noted night owl, as much as he could. But it was no mirage. The Mules are set to kickoff the 2021 football team on Friday night by hosting Sundown. 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. certain: Neither Lincoln nor Garrett wanted to follow their father into the cotton warehouse business. But that's not to say Muleshoe is a one-horse town when it comes to college-football loyalty. Never thought about it growing up, Mike Riley said. Muleshoe will always be my special village. Note: Lincoln Riley turns 35 years old today. Atwood, who was one of the four, recalls that the boys were caught as soon as they descended the water tower. They want their kids to be successful, not just in athletics, but in anything they do.. Lincoln Riley's father doesn't seem to be a big talker. Which brings us to our next topic . MULESHOE, Texas -- Speaking over the phone Friday morning, new USC football coach Lincoln Riley is discussing his adjustment to Los Angeles so far and laughs when asked about his current living arrangement. ", football hit an extended drought in the second half of the 20th century as coaches came and went with remarkable regularity. In 2014, assistant head coach was added to Riley's titles. High, a West Texas town of 5,000. They clearly remained friends throughout the years. 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. Mike and Marilyn Riley have lived in Muleshoe all of their lives. Anyhow, Riley wanted to be a college quarterback, but a shoulder dislocation kept him from reaching that potential. He was just brilliant. 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. It's pretty much the talk of the town.. "I really . New USC football coach Lincoln Riley grew up in Muleshoe, Texas. I told him youd better get in shape because youre probably not going to get a down off, Richards said. Even a few weeks ago, he says, if you wouldve told me I was living in L.A., I dont know that I wouldve believed you.. "Surely not an everyday event in these parts.". But when they worked there during high school, the boys learned valuable life lessons such as time management and the importance of every worker in the chain. Its hard to imagine a place any further away from Los Angeles. Its going to be a total change for Muleshoe to think about Lincoln being in California. 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. Garrett Riley is taking over the Clemson offense after winning the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant this past season. That includes a winless 2019 season and missing the playoffs the past two years. The people in Muleshoe say they didn't know Riley was headed for gridiron greatness. It's also home to two of the greatest offensive minds in college football. In West Texas, Muleshoe's team was for decades a source of disappointment. Mayfield and Murray became the No. There was a problem saving your notification. a job as an assistant coach who worked with receivers. Born in Muleshoe, he was raised and schooled primarily in Colorado. "Last year's team had a lot of success and that was great. "Everybody loves him. 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 Hell never forget his roots, Muleshoe Mayor Cliff Black said last week. 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.". , Victor marveled at how much time the older brother spent tutoring elementary school aged Garrett on the football field. Coaches came and went. Head Girls Track Coach Adrienne Ross. After all, Muletrain isn't 60 Minutes. Riley was on the football and track teams at Muleshoe (Tex.) Learn how your comment data is processed. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. "I think grit, never giving up and just playing . (Staff / The Dallas Morning News, courtesy), Are these Rangers good? Who can help student-athletes cash in? Young kids look up to the varsity kids. The day he interviewed, Wood recalls, there were three fights in the schools halls. They celebrated East Carolina University victories when their oldest son spent five seasons as the Pirates offensive coordinator. Lincoln knows exactly what the heck hes doing. While other small Texas towns have faded off the map, the dairy business has kept Muleshoes population hovering steadily around 5,000. 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. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during a game against Baylor on Nov. 13. 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. To be a total change for Muleshoe in West Texas, Muleshoe #. `` I think grit, never giving up and just playing Marilyn on Muleshoe 's drag! 'S wife Caitlin is also pure West Texas, Muleshoe & # x27 ; also. Happy to relive that run through the state playoffs a little bit.. Riley on! Him youd better get in shape because youre probably not going to put on... Bit.. Riley was only a year or two older than me, but it not... 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