But its what hes always wanted and anticipated. Some were convinced hed leave for Louisiana State. 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. The Mules won one game in Wood's first season, then five the next, giving Muleshoe its first. But growing up, he always knew that he would leave. How the deluge of 1938 changed Los Angeles and its river, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles. In West Texas, Muleshoe's team was for decades a source of disappointment. Start End Years Coach Name Record; 1996: 2011: 16: David Wood: 139-51-0: Add Team Photo. New USC football coach Lincoln Riley grew up in Muleshoe, Texas. 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. Going [to USC], hes obviously ready for that challenge. Notice something in common about the starting quarterbacks for Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia entering this year? 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. I would put those at the top of the list.". Richards went on to lead. It's also home to two of the greatest offensive minds in college football. Riley played briefly for Texas Tech, but spent more time there coaching than playing. Later, when his younger brother, Garrett, quarterbacked the team, Wood consulted with Lincoln about their offense. While Riley stayed loyal to McNeill, he also wanted to make sure his next jump was the proper one. 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. Hidden facts about Muleshoe, the best restaurants discovered while recruiting and plenty more fun with Coach Riley on this week's Fifth Quarter! Of course, it will be up to Riley to decide if he wants a fresh start with the Trojans quarterback room. sternly in a slow West Texas drawl, leaving no doubt that there would be nothing further from him on the topic. Which brings us to our next topic . 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. During the season, itll be harder because hell be gone before they are awake and theyll be asleep before he gets home. "Now we are Oklahoma fans because Lincoln is closer. 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. 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 played out the year on the defensive line instead. Riley is pure Muleshoe. He bought us steak knives with Harrell engraved in them, Harrell said. Riley played quarterback and defensive end for Muleshoe High School before graduating in 2002. Its like Christmas Eve and Im 6 years old. Muleshoe, Texas might see it a little differently. And, of course, who knows when those smitten might get engaged or married or when babies will be born? 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. Eight years later, on the brink of that state championship, Riley returned to Muleshoe High for a pep rally. 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. Muleshoe Sports Net Retweeted. 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. The word snake is being used a lot: How new USC football coach Lincoln Riley may have replaced Kevin Durant as Oklahomas public enemy number one. Riley even remembered his old high school while working at Texas Tech. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. They celebrated East Carolina University victories when their oldest son spent five seasons as the Pirates offensive coordinator. Coaches came and went. He used to be a defensive end Lincoln Riley didnt start his Muleshoe High School playing career as a quarterback. "I guess probably once I started to think about going to college, I enjoyed the game so much in high school that I felt it would be part of my life some way, some how. Cortez, Raymond ( So.) This article originally ran on July 15, 2017. Evaluate Brennen Davis's football recruiting profile. He has learned from experience. All rights reserved. Just like he isnt shocked by the anger in Oklahoma. Still, they somehow became aware of each other at basketball games while playing for rival high schools. Most folks here seem just fine with that. a job as an assistant coach who worked with receivers. The Mules won one game in Woods first season, then five the next, giving Muleshoe its first non-losing season in two decades. Family roots run generations deep in Muleshoe, making it sometimes feel like time is standing still. 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.. Gonzalez, Donavan ( Jr.) Vasquez, Uriel ( Sr.) Morales, Aaron ( So.) LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - After two seasons as the Head Football Coach/Athletic Director at Muleshoe High School, Lee Walker has been reassigned. "Oh, no doubt," Wood said Thursday night. The first quarterback Riley ever coached was none other than USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. filled out recruiting questionnaires, his SAT and ACT scores made more impact with some coaches than his measurable football skills. For a routine follow-up, Riley mentored Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts during his graduate transfer season, and Hurts is now the starter for the Philadelphia Eagles. Even in the classroom, when the teacher was giving notes, he'd just soak it in. Richards comes to Muleshoe from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, where he served as offensive coordinator. In 2018, Kyler Murray, a highly recruited transfer from Texas A&M, stepped in for Mayfield and earned his own Heisman and playoff appearance. 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. Things got so bad that during Mike Riley's sophomore year. He was a young man who could create plays, said Black, the longtime mayor. Head Cross Country/Head Girls Powerlifting Coach . He's certainly more comfortable in his job than he was a year ago at this time. 866-495-5172 Already a member? 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.". But he happily embraced the familys other enduring legacy in town, as the third of four Rileys to quarterback the Muleshoe Mules. Riley will have no shortage of talented quarterbacks to evaluate right here in his new backyard. Richards tutored all four quarterbacks to all-district honors each of the six years he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Mike Riley, Lincolns father, was a Mules quarterback through some of those down years. He has deep roots here. With Rileys help, the Sooners have won back-to-back Big 12 championships, have had two Heisman Trophy finalists in Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook, and a College Football Playoff appearance. Richards noted the juniors ability to play wide receiver, running back and quarterback on offense as well as defensive back on defense. In 1996, David Wood inherited a Muleshoe program that hadn't posted a winning record in 13 years. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. Ive always carried that with me. We were so close in age, it became a friendship, but he was a friend I respected. He brought a program and a culture to Muleshoe that hadnt been there, Riley said. No new houses, he says, have been built in 15 years. the after-school healthy snack program would be? 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. Seems that back when Riley. One of those guys, not necessarily write things down. You could see anything in the world just ahead of you. His immediate retirement plan is . Head Girls Track Coach Adrienne Ross. Great, great people. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Some people dont desire to be a head coach. He brought belief and hope. Life is too short, so dont be afraid to go for it.. Please subscribe to keep reading. Kind of overwhelmed. Flashback: Lincoln Riley's hometown thought he would work for NASA. Riley is a small-town guy, but clearly hes up for an adventure. 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. Riley is a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive end for the Mules football team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He just had natural instincts.". He spent a couple of days in Muleshoe and wrote about his drover days. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley watches the Sooners play Iowa State on Nov. 20. Few will ever forget Riley leading the Mules at Texas Stadium. Muleshoe will always be my special village. Riley still has an itch to scratch when it comes to winning at the highest level of the sport and must feel he can reach the summit more easily from USC. When Riley was a freshman, the Mules won 10, including a playoff game. Atwood, who was one of the four, recalls that the boys were caught as soon as they descended the water tower. In each of his first three seasons at Oklahoma, Riley led the Sooners to a 12-1 regular season, only to lose in the College Football Playoff semifinals to Georgia, Alabama and LSU of the Southeastern Conference. My dad worked me enough there throughout the years that he broke me on that, Riley joked during an interview with The Times last week. 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. 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. "Surely not an everyday event in these parts.". Will fame (and the fortune of a new $3.1 million annual contract) change Riley? You're shaped by your experiences," Riley said. Head Boys Track Coach Aaron Simon. 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. Head Boys Powerlifting Coach Jaxon Lee. . Things always change year to year in college football and that's one of the things we enjoy. 4:13. 12 and led the Mules to a state semifinal finish his senior season. Many of the standards of the Southwest. Maybe even a national title. "Everybody in town knows him," she said. Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach saw that same attribute in Riley. 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.. 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. Riley was three months shy of his 34th birthday when promoted to replace the retiring Bob Stoops. Muleshoe's Daniel Sianez (21) runs the ball against Jim Ned during the UIL 3A-D1 Area Playoff game on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021, at PlainsCapital Park-Lowrey Field in Lubbock, Texas. But I don't know that I would've gone this way without having the great experience back home.". USC won 11 national titles under icons Howard Jones, John McKay, John Robinson and Pete Carroll. Muleshoe dropped a 28-27 decision to Merkel in the area round of the Class 3A Division I playoffs last weekend. Wood began with a program that fielded 22 players in a school of about 450 students. But the last 103 years havent been all wins and Roses. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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 He keeps things pretty close to his sleeve, Garrett says. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during a game against Baylor on Nov. 13. Even his childhood mischief has become a part of the town mythos. Hes just an athletic big kid. Hell never forget his roots, Muleshoe Mayor Cliff Black said last week. The Mules are set to kickoff the 2021 football team on Friday night by hosting Sundown. Just do what got you here, Riley said. 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. Following the 2016 season, he was appointed Bob Stoops' successor, and he guided the team to the 2017 Rose Bowl and a #2 position in the College Football Playoffs. October 1, 2022, 12:22 AM. He was just more of a kid that soaked it all in. But I have to also understand that my expectations of simply doing the best I can for this program, thats going to be higher than anyone else can place on me or this program. They say you are raised by a village. No one thought it was possible, Riley remembers. The following season, Muleshoe went 15-0 and won its only state championship. As the young mayor explains, change often comes to town at a particularly cautious pace. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Before he even went to Oklahoma, he was talking to some other major colleges. A farming community sprouted alongside the track soon after some 70 miles northwest of Lubbock and 30 miles east of the border taking its name from the nearby ranch where, legend has it, the original owner found a stray muleshoe lying in the soil. 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. Its because he has an exceptional memory a photographic memory. The Sooners coach listens to many different genres. But it's not as if Riley graduated at the top of his high school class. Im fired up. Column: 15 minutes of fame flies by. Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter. quarterback, led the Mules 400 miles to a Class 3A state semifinal game at Texas Stadium in Irving. His grandfather, Claude, was the first, leading the Mules to an undefeated season in 1938. Riley's wife Caitlin is also pure West Texas, even if she's not from Muleshoe. Oklahoma mightve tested their allegiances as Texans, but Norman was still the Great Plains. 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. But he dislocated his throwing shoulder before the start of the season trying to make a tackle during a practice. HomeDirectoryPhotosAboutContactAdvertise. Last week's scrimmage against Olton showed the growth the Muleshoe football team has made over the last year. Pride Football camp starts Monday morning. 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. Young kids look up to the varsity kids. BREAKING after two seasons Muleshoe has reassigned HFC/AD Lee Walker, Muleshoe is open #txhsfb @dctf. He had a great knack for stuff like that.. Lincoln Riley isnt surprised by the towns confusion. Evaluate Jason Florez's football recruiting profile. He knew exactly how to handle everything from the playcalling to quarterbacks.. Will Rogers was a restless 18-year-old in 1898 when he signed on to be a cowboy for the sprawling Mashed O Ranch, which covered parts of Lamb and Bailey counties in the Texas Panhandle. 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. She's from Dimmitt, 45 miles away. From what I understand, Graves says, he wants to build his own program.. 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. Greatness, yes. Its going to be a total change for Muleshoe to think about Lincoln being in California. My daddy would roll over in his grave if I said I was gonna root for USC, Sam Whalin, the schools retired maintenance director, says with a laugh. When Lincoln attended Texas Tech, about 70 miles northwest of their home, the Rileys cheered for the Red Raiders. "He knew all the progressions. The selection committee sorted through 112 applications and interviewed six applicants on Jan. 22 and 23 before determining that Richards would be their choice. Still, Lincoln Riley grew up loving the Mules and football, in general. Outside candidates. There was some nervous energy, Riley says. "I think I took things from him and a lot of my coaches. "We'll see," Riley said. It was a fortuitous first step on a coaching ladder that has led him to. 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. There were multiple years in which we were 0-10 or 1-9, Atwood says. You just have a lot of pride in the town and in the people. Thats what you grew up in, thats what your daughters are used to, Riley says. 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.). Despite Muleshoes noted success, the squad hit a rough patch, winning just six games over the past three years. I just knew there were things I wanted to try to do, he says. Harrell told The Times, Really Lincoln was the first person that taught me Mike Leachs offense. "Each year presents new challenges, but there are parts of the job and all the things that come with it that I'm a little more settled in with for sure.". Riley was a defensive end during his sophomore season at Muleshoe, but he was shifted to quarterback for his final two years. Years later, when asked what hed learned from Wood, Riley wouldnt hesitate to draw parallels to the situation he now steps into at USC. Two decades later, folks in town are still happy to relive that run through the state playoffs. ", football hit an extended drought in the second half of the 20th century as coaches came and went with remarkable regularity. And it's no mirage. Back in the early 1980s, Horsley starred on television as Texas oilman Matt Houston, who doubled as a private investigator. I remember wed be playing football in the yard and hed be drawing up plays and things, his lifelong friend and former Texas Tech roommate, Jeff King, said during a 2015 interview with the Tulsa World. Most recently, he attended a Garth Brooks concert in Kansas City. from the offensive staff at Canyon Randall. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley talks with his players during a game against Oklahoma State on Saturday. It's also home to two of the greatest offensive minds in college football. Kansas City he also wanted to try to do, he 'd just soak it in game against state! A 28-27 decision to Merkel in the late 1990s and early 2000s their! The late 1990s and early 2000s the latest on L.A. 's teams in the world just of! Spent more time there coaching than playing if Riley graduated at the top the. Before the start of the 20th century as coaches came and went remarkable... Riley isnt surprised by the anger in Oklahoma other major colleges } { { format_cents }! 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