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. MULESHOE, Texas -- Magann Rennels has been on the job as a local television newshound for almost four decades. The Mules only return one all-district player in wide receiver Irvin Torres. As impressed as Wood was with his Muleshoe quarterbacks ability on the field, he was just as amazed by his off-the-field work. 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. Oklahoma mightve tested their allegiances as Texans, but Norman was still the Great Plains. But that's not to say Muleshoe is a one-horse town when it comes to college-football loyalty. 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. The Mules are set to kickoff the 2021 football team on Friday night by hosting Sundown. Lincoln Riley's father doesn't seem to be a big talker. You have permission to edit this article. "I thought he was more in the realm of NASA or something like that," Wood said. After watching Riley try to make it as a walk-on quarterback, the coach offered Riley a student assistant coaching job. "But he had a really good memory, was really good at math and he was very competitive. Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. And these former Longhorns fans are now supporters of the crimson and cream, as well as the University of Kansas, where their youngest son, Garrett, is the quarterbacks coach. Riley will have no shortage of talented quarterbacks to evaluate right here in his new backyard. What should student loan borrowers do while waiting for Supreme Court forgiveness ruling? Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. 1. COURTESY, Grandpa Claude, father Mike and Lincoln Riley, Lincoln and Caitlin Riley are from small Texas towns separated by a 45-minute drive. Tech racked up 579 yards of total offense. It's pretty much the talk of the town.. Pride Football camp starts Monday morning. "Didn't see eye-to-eye with the coach," Mike Riley said. But in high school, there were only a few shotgun sets, and the Mules ran a Power-I attack. 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. Football offered a nice escape. 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. Back in the early 1980s, Horsley starred on television as Texas oilman Matt Houston, who doubled as a private investigator. Lo and behold, we get there in the team meeting and Lincoln was told, Coach (Leach) isnt coaching this game and guess what? Which brings us to our next topic . Many of those lakes that Will Rogers saw in the 19th century have now dried out, but the area is prime for agriculture. "But he was the kind of athlete you wanted running the show. "A really exciting time," Rennels called the high-adrenaline week that followed Riley's ascension from offensive coordinator. That number barely fields a varsity team. Its because he has an exceptional memory a photographic memory. 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. This is a 33-year-old who grew up in a rural west Texas town known for its unique name, faith, family and football. Former Mules quarterback Lincoln Riley . 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. Riley's wife Caitlin is also pure West Texas, even if she's not from Muleshoe. The run still resonates here. He looks back fondly on his upbringing in West Texas and the lessons it taught him. Seems that back when Riley. 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. What had been done was history or tradition or how theyd always done it, but it wasnt working. The first quarterback Riley ever coached was none other than USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. Access your Muleshoe Journal e-edition or subscribe here. Stoops said he wouldnt have retired this offseason if not for his confidence in Riley. Volunteer. Small town, feels like he's their own. 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. DW Rutledge. 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.. Years later, when asked what hed learned from Wood, Riley wouldnt hesitate to draw parallels to the situation he now steps into at USC. He bought us steak knives with Harrell engraved in them, Harrell said. "I don't think they would havehad to pay him," his father Mike said. As a quarterback, Wood says, his intellect was his greatest asset. Hes got size, hes got a great family.. Cheerleading Sponsor Cheyanne Cage. Muleshoe football went from one of the worst programs in the state to one of the best. "Oh, no doubt," Wood said Thursday night. 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. Though Riley had a coach's mind, Wood never saw him going into that profession, thinking that mind might be too good for coaching. By June, however, coach Mike Leach had seen enough. Head Boys Powerlifting Coach Jaxon Lee. But he happily embraced the familys other enduring legacy in town, as the third of four Rileys to quarterback the Muleshoe Mules. They clearly remained friends throughout the years. A decade later, Lincoln Riley's new contract at Oklahoma calls for a guaranteed $3.1 million a year for five years. Head Boys Track Coach Aaron Simon. Over time, some of the Riley stories from those days have come to drift into tall tales, depending on whos telling them. Copyright 2019 KCBD. Even his childhood mischief has become a part of the town mythos. In the beginning, it was because he was the only guy that was around to watch film with me.. The rapid rise of Lincoln Riley, from small-town quarterback to one of the most promising football minds in America, is rooted deep in this arid soil. He keeps things pretty close to his sleeve, Garrett says. The following season, Muleshoe went 15-0 and won its only state championship. The gridiron, no. We just saw even at a young age he was pretty special for a 3A school, Wood said. Mayfield and Murray became the No. Donnie trained both of us and patience was a big thing, McNeill said about coaching transitions. His exit left him stunned and, he admits, a bit disappointed. 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. Life is too short, so dont be afraid to go for it.. Lincoln is also well-known for being the Oklahoma Sooners' head football coach. "Small town, very tight-knit community. As of September 2019, Harrell and Riley kept in touch often via text message. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley answers a question during a news conference in August. Over the past six years, the offense averaged 38 points per game and amassed an average of more than 400 yards per game. Mike and Marilyn Riley have lived in Muleshoe all of their lives. Although rocket science was not to be, he considered pursuing his mother's dream that he study to become a pharmacist. You could see anything in the world just ahead of you. 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. Riley is a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive end for the Mules football team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was a computer on legs. only a means to a football end. He wasnt afraid to change things up, to do things different from what had been done there. There were multiple years in which we were 0-10 or 1-9, Atwood says. The Riley family came before most other fixtures in Muleshoe, settling in town in the 1930s, not long after the town was incorporated. In 1996, David Wood inherited a Muleshoe program that hadn't posted a winning record in 13 years. All rights reserved. He wasnt afraid to change things up, to do things different from what had been done there. Going [to USC], hes obviously ready for that challenge. 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.. "It runs how long it needs to," Rennels said. Hes the young man who helped his alma mater install the spread offense, which led the Mules to a 2008 state championship. Lincoln Riley isnt surprised by the towns confusion. 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. Gonzalez, Donavan ( Jr.) Vasquez, Uriel ( Sr.) Morales, Aaron ( So.) Rileys work ethic and confident mindset were instilled by his parents. If youre at home, youre trying to be the best son, daughter. Note: Lincoln Riley turns 35 years old today. 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. "We were Tech fans here because it's close," Todd, the undertaker, announced. He's certainly more comfortable in his job than he was a year ago at this time. He was a sponge. I told him youd better get in shape because youre probably not going to get a down off, Richards said. 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. He felt that it was a good opportunity for him. Last year, Muleshoe named its football field after the longtime coach. USC coach Lincoln Riley remains a celebrated figure in the Muleshoe High football program. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during a game against Baylor on Nov. 13. I cannot wait to get this thing going. He introduced his fianc, the head softball coach at Flour Bluff. Its something that hes excited about. He got an early start, Leach told the Tulsa World last month. He was just brilliant. "Last year's team had a lot of success and that was great. The people in Muleshoe say they didn't know Riley was headed for gridiron greatness. But I think its a wonderful move.. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley yells from the sideline during a game. "It was a great place to grow up," Riley said on Wednesday afternoon during a telephone interview with The Eastern New Mexico News. 3 games every Oklahoma fan should circle on the calendar; full season predictions for 2017. The next year, with Mike settling in as quarterback, the Mules won three games. CALL. Riley is already having huge success recruiting Southern California. 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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. People know each other. Muleshoe always supports their own.. They were some complex plays as complex as you can be at 11.. 4:13. 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. He could think on the field unlike anybody else, Wood said. Find content for all Muleshoe Mules' Football teams covered by MaxPreps over the years. Garrett Riley is taking over the Clemson offense after winning the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant this past season. We have to put things together, do it again. 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.. 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