When Lincoln attended Texas Tech, about 70 miles northwest of their home, the Rileys cheered for the Red Raiders. But Ellis knows patience is an important part of his job description. 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. He knew exactly how to handle everything from the playcalling to quarterbacks.. 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. A humorist and actor and political pundit and newspaper columnist. One asset he had last year that he is without this season is Mayfield, who was selected No. The theories are numerous, but some here who know the Rileys wonder if the sprawl of Los Angeles might offer a semblance of anonymity. 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. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel View Comments Im not a big Longhorn fan right now, thats for sure.. Muleshoe went 1-19 in the two years preceding head coach Jason Richards' arrival. Atwood, who was one of the four, recalls that the boys were caught as soon as they descended the water tower. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, Stand with us in our mission to discover and uncover the story of North Texas. In years past, he has made it back to Muleshoe every summer. And, from those days as a young coach on Leachs staff, he hasnt let his own pride bog him down. But Riley is able to handle the job while spending time with his daughters, Sloan and Stella. The Wallace Theatre sits on Muleshoes Main Street. "He knew all the progressions. 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. Others speculate he wanted nothing to do with the Southeastern Conference. Kyle Atwood, a close friend and Rileys leading receiver in high school, expects USC flags to be flying in town soon enough. 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. All four quarterbacks are in the top five for passing yards in a season. Lincoln is also well-known for being the Oklahoma Sooners' head football coach. He spent a couple of days in Muleshoe and wrote about his drover days. Each of the thousands of bales waiting to be loaded and shipped off weighs up to 500 pounds. 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 , Victor marveled at how much time the older brother spent tutoring elementary school aged Garrett on the football field. 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. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). A Muleshoe Mule is coaching the Sooners. It wasnt until Wood came to town in the spring of 1996 that the teams fortunes started to turn around. When I hired him, Lincoln was the youngest full-time assistant in the country, but he had been with me as a student assistant and a GA for about six years and did a tremendous job, so I had no reservation about hiring him.. in 1969, the Mules scored a single touchdown during the entire season. But as he and his wife considered the idea, Riley thought of his daughters. Rogers returned in 1934, an international celebrity. He'd dissect defenses really quickly. But the last 103 years havent been all wins and Roses. Despite Muleshoes noted success, the squad hit a rough patch, winning just six games over the past three years. Eight years later, on the brink of that state championship, Riley returned to Muleshoe High for a pep rally. Rileys coaching success has been anchored by a spread-it-out, fast-paced attack. So when they hear insults hurled his way from Oklahoma, where the pettiness extended this week all the way to the state Senate, they spring quickly to his defense. 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. Two decades later, folks in town are still happy to relive that run through the state playoffs. A doctor. Flashback: Lincoln Riley's hometown thought he would work for NASA. "Muleshoe -- don't you like just hearing it?". 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. Everyone knows everyone, especially the Muleshoe native whose hiring as OUs coach created shockwaves throughout the college football world. Once he sees something, hell never forget it.. 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.). It may be a good thing that the show never has had a scripted length. Richards grew up in Clovis, where he was quarterback/defensive back for the high school from 1999-2001. Riley caught Wood's eye as a seventh-grader. "He wasn't a blue-chip athlete," Wood said. Hal Mumme was the head coach at McMurry University in Abilene, which is about three hours from Muleshoe. "School was not his primary motivation," Marilyn Riley said. But its what hes always wanted and anticipated. A rocket scientist. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. In 1996, David Wood inherited a Muleshoe program that hadn't posted a winning record in 13 years. The only time they were away was when they attended the University of Texas. He was telling me about some other opportunities that were in the foresight of his career. Kind of overwhelmed. Riley had instant success at East Carolina, and drew job opportunities from four schools. 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. Deep on the dusty plains of West Texas, where grain silos line the sparse landscape and a dry breeze blows loose tufts of cotton across U.S. Route 84, a stretch of railroad runs along a lonely highway. 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. Patience and a well-timed recruiting pitch helped USC lure Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma, sending shockwaves through the college football world. What should student loan borrowers do while waiting for Supreme Court forgiveness ruling? Riley will have no shortage of talented quarterbacks to evaluate right here in his new backyard. Hes the person who has a spare second for those wanting to talk to him during visits home. He had a big following when he was coming through high school. They are high-integrity people who recruit the right way and have a unique ability to work with players on and off the field.. This is a compilation of Muleshoe high school football coach history. His grandfather, Claude, was the first, leading the Mules to an undefeated season in 1938. "I think we've got enough to do some great things, but a lot's gotta happen between now and then. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel. 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. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley watches the Sooners play Iowa State on Nov. 20. 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. Here in Muleshoe, the stunning news of Rileys sudden departure to USC late last month was greeted mostly with sideways glances. A top-10 preseason ranking is expected and, last week, the Sooners were predicted to win their third consecutive Big 12 championship. But everyone here trusts Lincoln. Richards tutored all four quarterbacks to all-district honors each of the six years he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. 866-495-5172 Already a member? One is USC head coach. But its also a dream come true. You could see anything in the world just ahead of you. Riley is a small-town guy, but clearly hes up for an adventure. 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. Ellis, the mayor, says it felt just like the movies. For a small West Texas town obsessed with football, it was unforgettable. Riley is a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive end for the Mules football team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Good call. The following season, Muleshoe went 15-0 and won its only state championship. They were some complex plays as complex as you can be at 11.. 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. David Wood was Rileys high school football coach. 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. Which brings us to our final topic . USC won 11 national titles under icons Howard Jones, John McKay, John Robinson and Pete Carroll. 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. A decade later, Lincoln Riley's new contract at Oklahoma calls for a guaranteed $3.1 million a year for five years. His family has always been a great part of the community.. Conventional wisdom would say that you guys have been smallish-town people. He got an early start, Leach told the Tulsa World last month. 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. Please subscribe to keep reading. We were huge Muleshoe fans.. Outside candidates. 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. As the young mayor explains, change often comes to town at a particularly cautious pace. 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.. 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. That part has always been important to me.. 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. Lincoln has a photographic memory, and when I say that, I really mean it., David Wood, Lincoln Rileys football coach at Muleshoe High. They say you are raised by a village. Every time we get steaks and have friends over, they ask, Where did you get these knives? Always my wife will say, The Rileys bought them for us as a wedding gift. He tells me to come and visit him. only a means to a football end. Just like he isnt shocked by the anger in Oklahoma. One is USC head coach. Former Mule Jaxon Lee, an AP all-state first team lineman for the. 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. Muleshoe, just 22 miles from the New Mexico border, is home to the National Mule Memorial. He wanted to win in the classroom like he won on the field.". 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. Maybe more frequent trips to Los Angeles planted some seeds that Southern California might be a nice place to raise two young daughters, Sloan and Stella, with wife Caitlin, even though its a much different lifestyle than what theyve known in Norman, Okla. But growing up, he always knew that he would leave. Things got so bad that during Mike Riley's sophomore year. No matter how savvy the journalist, the decision to eliminate one of the town's two traffic lights has a newsy shelf life. Few will ever forget Riley leading the Mules at Texas Stadium. Mayfield and Murray became the No. I knew he'd be the best next coach at a major Division I school. Head coach Jason Richards hopes that preseason growth can be turned into regular-season success. Most recently, he attended a Garth Brooks concert in Kansas City. Hard-working. Richards comes to Muleshoe from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, where he served as offensive coordinator. Never mind that Riley was only 19 years old. But after Riley walked on at Texas Tech, then-Red Raiders coach Mike Leach encouraged him to get off . Riley began his coaching career at Roosevelt High School in Lubbock, Texas as the team's quarterbacks coach and passing game assistant. Hes got size, hes got a great family.. Heres everything you need to know about Riley. As you might expect, Runnels, who could double as a one-woman Chamber of Commerce, has a special sweet spot for Riley. It can be backbreaking work. Mike and Marilyn returned home from Austin soon after graduation and eventually took over family-owned cotton warehouses in neighboring Sudan. 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. Oklahoma mightve tested their allegiances as Texans, but Norman was still the Great Plains. After coaching for 14 years, the Clovis native got his dream job and was named the Mules head football coach and athletic director in February. Back in the early 1980s, Horsley starred on television as Texas oilman Matt Houston, who doubled as a private investigator. We have to put things together, do it again. Conventional wisdom might tell you to stay in that, thats what you do, and I certainly think that wouldve turned out just fine. Muleshoe, which would become the seat of Bailey County, then was just a few houses, a school and a cemetery. All rights reserved. Lincoln has a photographic memory, and when I say that, I really mean it.. Ive never been afraid to go against the grain if I felt like it was the best thing for the team, for the program. BREAKING after two seasons Muleshoe has reassigned HFC/AD Lee Walker, Muleshoe is open #txhsfb @dctf. During the season, itll be harder because hell be gone before they are awake and theyll be asleep before he gets home. 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. Riley is a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive end for the Mules football team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 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 always supports their own.. That number barely fields a varsity team. They want their kids to be successful, not just in athletics, but in anything they do.. Watch film with intensity, remember so much about the film, most kids would not remember. It didn't take much, however, to get his competitive football juices flowing in Lubbock. But well take him lunch or go to practice.. They celebrated East Carolina University victories when their oldest son spent five seasons as the Pirates offensive coordinator. There was some nervous energy, Riley says. Some folks waited afterward to get his autograph. Cortez, Raymond ( So.) As a freshman, he had a team-leading 221 receiving yards with a touchdown and will be expected to stay on the field for as long as he can to play on offense, defense and special teams. 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. Questions? "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. Thats a whole nother world than what he grew up in, said Alice Liles, who taught Rileys advanced English class and authored a book on the town. 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. This is a 33-year-old who grew up in a rural west Texas town known for its unique name, faith, family and football. The Mules won one game in Wood's first season, then five the next, giving Muleshoe its first. Access your Muleshoe Journal e-edition or subscribe here. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. But like L.A., they have complete faith now that Lincoln Riley will deliver. As impressed as Wood was with his Muleshoe quarterbacks ability on the field, he was just as amazed by his off-the-field work. Theres an intense sense of pride. When Wood talks about Riley, it sounded like Lou Holtz, who a couple of months ago came through Oklahoma City and noted his innate ability to immediately see and comprehend the intricacies of football. "Everybody knew everybody. Muleshoe football, as Riley remembers, was "one of the worst programs in the entire state of Texas for a long time." Mike Riley, Lincoln's father, was a Mules quarterback through some of those down years. Oklahoma, where Memorial Stadium could hold 17 times the population of Muleshoe. "I think I took things from him and a lot of my coaches. 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. 2023 www.lubbockonline.com. "It was a great place to grow up," Riley said on Wednesday afternoon during a telephone interview with The Eastern New Mexico News. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. McNeill, who accepted the head coaching position at East Carolina, hired Riley to be his offensive coordinator. Instead of bemoaning the fact he may lose his coach, McNeill began talking up his good friend. Going [to USC], hes obviously ready for that challenge. You're shaped by your experiences," Riley said. 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. Muleshoe football went from one of the worst programs in the state to one of the best. "I think grit, never giving up and just playing . Soon after, Todd and Starla Ellis, who run the local funeral home, stopped by the Riley's table. 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 and I had many thoughts he prepared us that way. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. "The value of hard work - I think the community has always been built on that. Usually, you build those relationships, and youre going to have a successful program., Top Returners: Irvin Torres, Brennen Davis, Zach Hasley, Jacob Reyes, Matt Fabela. 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 the worst of times came decades later, just as his oldest son was learning to love football. How USC trainers saved Vincent Iwuchukwu after cardiac arrest, How Lindsay Gottlieb blends family into USCs once-in-a-lifetime season. ", Three Oklahoma stars to keep an eye on in 2017 season, Watch for these three Oklahoma players to have breakout seasons in 2017. As soon as Bob Stoops handpicked Riley to coach the quarterbacks and run the offense at Oklahoma in 2015, Riley began to prove what he had already shown at East Carolina in Conference USA: The guy knows how to motivate and prepare players at footballs most important position. Riley, though, doesn't see his biggest 2018 task as replacing a Heisman winner. "I thought he was more in the realm of NASA or something like that," Wood said. 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. You are the OC (offensive coordinator).. USC coach Lincoln Riley remains a celebrated figure in the Muleshoe High football program. "To see him grow and develop into what he's become, it's pretty remarkable. Pride Football camp starts Monday morning. 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. He wasnt afraid to change things up, to do things different from what had been done there. It attracted 10,000 souls. Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter. Hell never forget his roots, Muleshoe Mayor Cliff Black said last week. Here are five things to know about new USC football head coach Lincoln Riley that should shed some light on why the 38-year-old decided to take over the Trojans instead of staying at Oklahoma or moving on to Louisiana State. The news first broke on Twitter by Matt Stepp on December 17 and KCBD Sports confirmed on Christmas Eve. The only passing reference to L.A. found here comes from a novelty Rodeo Drive sign behind the bar at Rodeo, Muleshoes lone watering hole. He had a great knack for stuff like that.. Find Us . I certainly wont be afraid to do it here.. First-year coach Lincoln Riley and quarterback Baker Mayfield took center stage Monday, as Oklahoma had its turn at Big 12 Media Days in Frisc. Ryan Kartje is the USC beat writer at the Los Angeles Times. Lot of ag people. 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. The whole town packed into the high school gym that day, glowing as Riley spoke. Muleshoe, a 5,000 population town about 68 miles northwest of Lubbock, sits about 17 miles east of the New Mexico line. Seems that back when Riley. 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. Ellis is the third generation to run the funeral home, which his grandfather opened in 1959. Momentum was building, and at quarterback, the attention turned to Riley, who Wood says was set to take the reins as a sophomore. COURTESY, Grandpa Claude, father Mike and Lincoln Riley, Lincoln and Caitlin Riley are from small Texas towns separated by a 45-minute drive. Everybody in Muleshoe's been real supportive. His immediate retirement plan is . if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'easternnewmexiconews_com-box-4','ezslot_1',130,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-easternnewmexiconews_com-box-4-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'easternnewmexiconews_com-box-4','ezslot_2',130,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-easternnewmexiconews_com-box-4-0_1'); .box-4-multi-130{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:7px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:7px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center !important;}"Getting to work for one of the most legendary coaches this school has ever had, and a great guy on top of that, it was fun for me to sit back and watch him work while I grew as a young coach," Riley said. Hal Mumme was the first, leading the Mules football team in the early,. 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