Im fired up. "I don't think they would havehad to pay him," his father Mike said. Pride Football camp starts Monday morning. Mike and Marilyn returned home from Austin soon after graduation and eventually took over family-owned cotton warehouses in neighboring Sudan. Lincoln and I had many thoughts he prepared us that way. All rights reserved. Jeremiah Barron struggled with injuries last season, but also has the potential to be a versatile player for Muleshoe. Kind of overwhelmed. 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. Muleshoe, Texas might see it a little differently. There are many friendship threads in Rileys small hometown of nearly 6,000. Everyone's a hero in a small town, Wood said. They just didnt know how to do it.. I knew he'd be the best next coach at a major Division I school. Cheerleading Sponsor Cheyanne Cage. The Mules only return one all-district player in wide receiver Irvin Torres. Did Riley envision himself as a future coach? Muleshoe rolled through four playoff games on their way to the Class 3A state semifinals, including a rare win over Friona that inspired Riley and three teammates the next summer to climb the rival towns water tower and spray paint the winning score, 23-13, for all to see. Has to have shaped him a little bit.. Lot of ag people. "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. Wood always saw the mind of a coach when Riley was one of his players. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Oklahomas Lincoln Riley is the nations preeminent quarterback guru, Lincoln Rileys hiring at USC already impacting Trojans recruiting, Malachi Nelson, The 12 hours that transformed USC football: How the Lincoln Riley deal went down, Jaguars, narcos, illegal loggers: One mans battle to save a Guatemalan jungle and Maya ruins. Thats something they never felt in Norman, where fans would recognize Rileys wife, Caitlin, at the grocery store and knew their daughters names. He had a big following when he was coming through high school. 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. Few believed it at first. 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. His immediate retirement plan is . 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. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley talks with his players during a game against Oklahoma State on Saturday. But its what hes always wanted and anticipated. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley answers a question during a news conference in August. Riley will have no shortage of talented quarterbacks to evaluate right here in his new backyard. Lincoln, theyll tell you, couldve been anything. Donnie trained both of us and patience was a big thing, McNeill said about coaching transitions. Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. Its something that weve both always wanted, Caitlin Riley said. 866-495-5172 Already a member? 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. Call. 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. We just saw even at a young age he was pretty special for a 3A school, Wood said. The town wanted to be good. Junior High Coordinator Ross Johnson. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. Davis will be Muleshoe's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after previously being at Texico (New Mexico) High School. For the Rileys, its a new lifestyle. When Riley was a freshman, the Mules won 10, including a playoff game. Ellis, the mayor, says it felt just like the movies. For a small West Texas town obsessed with football, it was unforgettable. Last week's scrimmage against Olton showed the growth the Muleshoe football team has made over the last year. Most recently, he attended a Garth Brooks concert in Kansas City. They celebrated East Carolina University victories when their oldest son spent five seasons as the Pirates offensive coordinator. Maybe even an astronaut. Wes Wood has hit the ground running, already meeting with the coaching staff and some of his new players. 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. School was. His final game at Muleshoe and last as a quarterback in a competitive game was a senior-year loss in a state semifinal game at old Texas Stadium. MULESHOE, Texas -- Magann Rennels has been on the job as a local television newshound for almost four decades. High, a West Texas town of 5,000. 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. quarterback, led the Mules 400 miles to a Class 3A state semifinal game at Texas Stadium in Irving. 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. They want their kids to be successful, not just in athletics, but in anything they do.. But the worst of times came decades later, just as his oldest son was learning to love football. 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. 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. It shaped who I am, Riley says. It didn't take much, however, to get his competitive football juices flowing in Lubbock. Theres an intense sense of pride. A lot of times when people get success at a young age, the humble factor tends to get put on the backburner, Simmons said. By Gail M. Williams Last year, Muleshoe named its football field after the longtime coach. Of course, some weeks are slower than others in this farming town of 5,000, located 70 flat, High Plains miles northwest of Lubbock. (Staff / The Dallas Morning News, courtesy), Are these Rangers good? 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.". Seemingly overnight, the Ivy League discovered Muleshoe. There were multiple years in which we were 0-10 or 1-9, Atwood says. 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. Oklahomas issue during those seasons was its porous defense, but, during the last two years, its offense sputtered (at least living up to its ridiculous standards), as Riley struggled to work his magic on five-star quarterback prospects Spencer Rattler and Caleb Williams Jr. Look, when 10-2 is your down year, youre doing pretty well. "He knew all the progressions. He was a defensive end as a sophomore, but took over the offense in his final two seasons which included one state semifinal finish. But everyone here trusts Lincoln. But growing up, he always knew that he would leave. Riley played briefly for Texas Tech, but spent more time there coaching than playing. 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. Mike and Marilyn Riley have lived in Muleshoe all of their lives. A doctor. Really? He keeps things pretty close to his sleeve, Garrett says. CALL. The people in Muleshoe say they didn't know Riley was headed for gridiron greatness. He just had natural instincts.". "Didn't see eye-to-eye with the coach," Mike Riley said. No matter how Riley and the Sooners fare, the 105-year-old town of Muleshoe will be proud of him. Will Oklahoma fare better or worse in 2017 season? Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley yells from the sideline during a game. "Small town, very tight-knit community. Momentum was building, and at quarterback, the attention turned to Riley, who Wood says was set to take the reins as a sophomore. Hes just an athletic big kid. He has deep roots here. In two seasons as Oklahomas coach, Lincoln Riley has had two quarterbacks win the Heisman Trophy. Former Mule Jaxon Lee, an AP all-state first team lineman for the. This is a 33-year-old who grew up in a rural west Texas town known for its unique name, faith, family and football. Im not a big Longhorn fan right now, thats for sure.. We were huge Muleshoe fans.. He was a young man who could create plays, said Black, the longtime mayor. But it was no mirage. Oklahoma mightve tested their allegiances as Texans, but Norman was still the Great Plains. Hidden facts about Muleshoe, the best restaurants discovered while recruiting and plenty more fun with Coach Riley on this week's Fifth Quarter! What should student loan borrowers do while waiting for Supreme Court forgiveness ruling? Back then, that was unbelievable.. Hell never forget his roots, Muleshoe Mayor Cliff Black said last week. 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. Good call. Back in the early 1980s, Horsley starred on television as Texas oilman Matt Houston, who doubled as a private investigator. In West Texas, Muleshoe's team was for decades a source of disappointment. 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. Suddenly Muletrain was competing with SportsCenter for eyeballs. Others speculate he wanted nothing to do with the Southeastern Conference. Anyhow, Riley wanted to be a college quarterback, but a shoulder dislocation kept him from reaching that potential. Former Mules quarterback Lincoln Riley . 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. Its hard to imagine a place any further away from Los Angeles. But it's not as if Riley graduated at the top of his high school class. Wood began with a program that fielded 22 players in a school of about 450 students. 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. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley already has made inroads in Southern California football recruiting, which should help him bolster USCs talent pool. Riley, though, doesn't see his biggest 2018 task as replacing a Heisman winner. Its something that hes excited about. Column: 15 minutes of fame flies by. 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. Muleshoe will be Richards first athletic director and head football coaching position. Life is too short, so dont be afraid to go for it.. "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.". Hes the person who has a spare second for those wanting to talk to him during visits home. 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 2018, Kyler Murray, a highly recruited transfer from Texas A&M, stepped in for Mayfield and earned his own Heisman and playoff appearance. 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. Mike Riley's series of tin-roofed warehouses on the northern fringe of Sudan can feel like ovens in the unforgiving West Texas sun. That part has always been important to me.. Everybody in Muleshoe's been real supportive. You're shaped by your experiences," Riley said. Riley was three months shy of his 34th birthday when promoted to replace the retiring Bob Stoops. The Red Raiders beat Michigan State 41-31 on that day. 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. Muleshoe, just 22 miles from the New Mexico border, is home to the National Mule Memorial. Muleshoe (locals pronounce it mule-SHOE), named in honor of a nearby ranch and developed in 1913 to take advantage of commerce sure to come with newly laid railroad tracks linking Lubbock to New Mexico, was back on the map. It would be a challenge, Simmons said, but one that the then-26-year-old coach accepted and conquered. Gonzalez, Donavan ( Jr.) Vasquez, Uriel ( Sr.) Morales, Aaron ( So.) Copyright 2022. Hard-working. I would put those at the top of the list.". The news first broke on Twitter by Matt Stepp on December 17 and KCBD Sports confirmed on Christmas Eve. They clearly remained friends throughout the years. Ive always carried that with me. 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. Many of the standards of the Southwest. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Phone: 918-581-8391. Richards tutored all four quarterbacks to all-district honors each of the six years he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. DW Rutledge. After watching Riley try to make it as a walk-on quarterback, the coach offered Riley a student assistant coaching job. 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 was a coach on the field for us. His grandfather Claude Riley, who is 97 and lives at the nursing home with his wife, Evelyn, 89, was a quarterback there, as well. Thats what you grew up in, thats what your daughters are used to, Riley says. Were not allowed to talk about the wind in my program. Clovis was district and state champion in 2001. 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.. The expectations for a quick rebuild will be ever-present, trumping any old loyalties. Rileys coaching success has been anchored by a spread-it-out, fast-paced attack. Despite Muleshoes noted success, the squad hit a rough patch, winning just six games over the past three years. I havent been following them as much since the boys got bigger and went to different schools. There are high expectations. He felt that it was a good opportunity for him. What had been done was history or tradition or how theyd always done it, but it wasnt working. That number barely fields a varsity team. No one thought it was possible, Riley remembers. But he happily embraced the familys other enduring legacy in town, as the third of four Rileys to quarterback the Muleshoe Mules. Here in Muleshoe, the stunning news of Rileys sudden departure to USC late last month was greeted mostly with sideways glances. 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. Small town, feels like he's their own. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). The next year he was hired on at Oklahoma as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach under the nationally-renowned Bob Stoops. "Last year's team had a lot of success and that was great. McNeill, who accepted the head coaching position at East Carolina, hired Riley to be his offensive coordinator. 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