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. It was so sudden, Graves says. He raced through his homework as soon as he got to the house simply so he could get back to football as quickly as possible, his mother recalled. He could think on the field unlike anybody else. certain: Neither Lincoln nor Garrett wanted to follow their father into the cotton warehouse business. Although rocket science was not to be, he considered pursuing his mother's dream that he study to become a pharmacist. It was a Sunday afternoon game decided by a Hail Mary on the final play. The Rennels' house on West 3rd Street is conveniently located just down from Muleshoe High, whose Friday night football games the station videotapes for continuous airings on Saturdays and Sundays. 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. As impressed as Wood was with his Muleshoe quarterbacks ability on the field, he was just as amazed by his off-the-field work. During the season, itll be harder because hell be gone before they are awake and theyll be asleep before he gets home. It was kind of fun to be there at the beginning.". You know everybody. Their hearts belonged to the Longhorns until sons Lincoln and Garrett went off to college at Texas Tech. One newcomer Richards is excited about is Nic Reyes, a 5-foot-11, 275-pound sophomore offensive lineman. Upon the completion of his degree in 2012, he was named the running backs coach at Augustana College in Illinois. "Last year's team had a lot of success and that was great. Will Oklahoma fare better or worse in 2017 season? 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. Lo and behold, we get there in the team meeting and Lincoln was told, Coach (Leach) isnt coaching this game and guess what? Back then, that was unbelievable.. Theres no shortage of small-town sleuths here still wondering aloud why Riley up and left the Sooners seemingly overnight. After two years as OUs offensive coordinator, hell take over as head coach. 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. The crowd roared. Im sure hes got a pretty nice home now, making what hes making., Its possible that Riley has been keeping up with USC from afar given his affinity for Harrell. "As long as I could have kids like Lincoln, I knew I could compete.". "Oh, no doubt," Wood said Thursday night. Lincoln has a photographic memory, and when I say that, I really mean it., David Wood, Lincoln Rileys football coach at Muleshoe High. For Riley's part, Muleshoe was good to him, providing the setting for a solid upbringing, a town where a boy who would someday lead one of the nation's most famous college football programs could learn lessons that shaped him. "A really exciting time," Rennels called the high-adrenaline week that followed Riley's ascension from offensive coordinator. Hes just an athletic big kid. But the last 103 years havent been all wins and Roses. "I don't think they would havehad to pay him," his father Mike said. Clovis was district and state champion in 2001. Muleshoe Football Coach History Mascot Mules Team Varsity 2022 Colors Black, White Coach N/A Address 514 W Ave G, Muleshoe, TX 79347 Overall 4-1 District 0-0 State (TX) Rank 488. Richards also knows the talent that has come out of the program, like Riley brothers Lincoln and Garrett. "I thought he was more in the realm of NASA or something like that," Wood said. "That's a good question," he said. 4 min read. They clearly remained friends throughout the years. Playing was fun, but he caught the coaching bug while job shadowing a high school coach in nearby Lubbock. He felt that it was a good opportunity for him. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Mules scored just one touchdown during the entire 1969 season. What should student loan borrowers do while waiting for Supreme Court forgiveness ruling? The expectations for a quick rebuild will be ever-present, trumping any old loyalties. Hes the young man who helped his alma mater install the spread offense, which led the Mules to a 2008 state championship. Cattle ranching, dairy farming, wheat, cotton. Which brings us to our next topic . Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley talks with his players during a game against Oklahoma State on Saturday. It didn't hurt that Riley had the services of quarterback Baker Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy in December. In 2017, once Riley took the reins from Stoops, Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff semifinals. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns in last April's NFL Draft. "It was a great place to grow up," Riley said on Wednesday afternoon during a telephone interview with The Eastern New Mexico News. Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at [email protected]. He is the former high school quarterback who wore No. 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. Find content for all Muleshoe Mules' Football teams covered by MaxPreps over the years. You are the OC (offensive coordinator).. The older he got is when I was more impressed with him. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. But it's not as if Riley graduated at the top of his high school class. High, a West Texas town of 5,000. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft during back-to-back seasons. 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. 12.8K views. Kind of overwhelmed. And perhaps, 2018 will bring another run to the College Football Playoff. No one thought it was possible, Riley remembers. How can a West Texas boy go to L.A.? asked David Wood, who coached Riley at Muleshoe High. We were huge Muleshoe fans.. He once played quarterback for the Muleshoe. Its because he has an exceptional memory a photographic memory. J. Brady McCollough is a sports enterprise reporter for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on national college football and basketball topics. How USC trainers saved Vincent Iwuchukwu after cardiac arrest, How Lindsay Gottlieb blends family into USCs once-in-a-lifetime season. We was driving over a Country where 36 years before as a boy 18 years old I had helped drive a bunch of cattle from that very place to Western Kansas, and there wasent a house or a chicken in a whole county. "It's quite an accolade to say I was able to be a part of his life," Wood said. 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 has other big ideas to move Muleshoe forward. One is USC head coach. Former Mules quarterback Lincoln Riley . "We had great success there throughout our years. Patience is the whole key.. 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. COURTESY, Grandpa Claude, father Mike and Lincoln Riley, Lincoln and Caitlin Riley are from small Texas towns separated by a 45-minute drive. But growing up, he always knew that he would leave. Its hard to imagine a place any further away from Los Angeles. With a coach of Rileys pedigree now leading the Trojans, the Pac-12 is unquestionably now USCs for the taking in the coming years. What had been done was history or tradition or how theyd always done it, but it wasnt working. Life is too short, so dont be afraid to go for it., USC coach Lincoln Riley on leaving his small hometown of Muleshoe, Texas. 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. 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. Still, they somehow became aware of each other at basketball games while playing for rival high schools. When Lincoln attended Texas Tech, about 70 miles northwest of their home, the Rileys cheered for the Red Raiders. He told the team not to waste one second of its big moment. Riley was on the football and track teams at Muleshoe (Tex.) Oklahoma cap at lunch alongside Marilyn on Muleshoe's main drag. From what I understand, Graves says, he wants to build his own program.. The Riley family came before most other fixtures in Muleshoe, settling in town in the 1930s, not long after the town was incorporated. Which brings us to our final topic . It has been assumed Harrell would move on next season, but, with the hire of his friend, it will certainly be interesting to see if Harrell remains a part of Rileys USC staff. He brought belief and hope. Theres something about being raised in a small town, said his wife, Caitlin Riley. His youth has been a positive, especially on the recruiting trail. Lincoln Riley Oklahomas new head football coach recently greeted everyone with a smile at Leals Restaurant off the main drag in Muleshoe, Texas. Despite Muleshoes noted success, the squad hit a rough patch, winning just six games over the past three years. Last week's scrimmage against Olton showed the growth the Muleshoe football team has made over the last year. Hes gonna make the Trojans a powerhouse again.. 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. (Reyes) is a stud. Jeremiah Barron struggled with injuries last season, but also has the potential to be a versatile player for Muleshoe. While the Sooners did not recruit as much in the Southland in Rileys first five years in Norman, theyve made camp in recent years, pulling commitments in the last year from some of the top offensive talent in the region 2022 five-star Santa Ana Mater Dei running back Raleek Brown, 2023 five-star Los Alamitos quarterback Malachi Nelson (the top quarterback in his class), 2023 five-star Los Alamitos athlete Makai Lemon and 2023 four-star Los Alamitos receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. Those players could switch their commitments to USC soon enough, and there will be more local players and coaches taking immediate notice of Riley putting down roots in Los Angeles to restore the proud tradition of the USC program. Some speculate the injury mightve changed his trajectory, but the next season, Riley led Muleshoe to new heights as its quarterback anyway. A top-10 preseason ranking is expected and, last week, the Sooners were predicted to win their third consecutive Big 12 championship. Ive never been afraid to go against the grain if I felt like it was the best thing for the team, for the program. 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. I knew he'd be the best next coach at a major Division I school. Still, he opted not to play as a senior. Seemingly overnight, the Ivy League discovered Muleshoe. Few believed it at first. 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.). But Ellis knows patience is an important part of his job description. Muletrain, it should be noted, actually has been around since the late 1950s as a radio offering on a station that beamed it in from Clovis, N.M., 30 miles away. Access your Muleshoe Journal e-edition or subscribe here. 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. People know each other. Few will ever forget Riley leading the Mules at Texas Stadium. Hes the person who has a spare second for those wanting to talk to him during visits home. Current OU wide receivers coach Dennis Simmons, who was at Texas Tech for 10 years as a full-time assistant or support staff member, has witnessed Rileys fast trajectory as a college football coach. Wes Wood has hit the ground running, already meeting with the coaching staff and some of his new players. On his 27th birthday, Riley called plays in a thrilling season-opening 51-49 win over Tulsa in 2010. Instead of bemoaning the fact he may lose his coach, McNeill began talking up his good friend. We were so close in age, it became a friendship, but he was a friend I respected. Richards went on to lead. 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. But he dislocated his throwing shoulder before the start of the season trying to make a tackle during a practice. Hes a great, great dad, Caitlin Riley said. Notice something in common about the starting quarterbacks for Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia entering this year? Registration is at 7:15 to 8:00 at the football field first session is for incoming . Patience and a well-timed recruiting pitch helped USC lure Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma, sending shockwaves through the college football world. He's been too busy. 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. Most folks here seem just fine with that. ", Three Oklahoma stars to keep an eye on in 2017 season, Watch for these three Oklahoma players to have breakout seasons in 2017. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley watches the Sooners play Iowa State on Nov. 20. They just didnt know how to do it.. But it has come at a price. Start End Years Coach Name Record; 1996: 2011: 16: David Wood: 139-51-0: Add Team Photo. Riley, like many young coaches, has grown over the years. He keeps things pretty close to his sleeve, Garrett says. Led the Mules at Texas Stadium time, '' Wood said of their home, the Rileys cheered for Los! 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