Like most everyone in town, restaurant owner Victor Leal has a favorite story about his favorite college football coach. Head Boys Track Coach Aaron Simon. Learn how this Muleshoe High School student is connecting with coaches in TX and nationwide. Texas Tech coach Mike Leach saw enough in him to recruit him as a walk on, but it wasnt too long during his time in Lubbock before Riley moved into a student assistant role. Here are five things every fan should know about the Trojans' new coach. But the rest of Muleshoe moves at a crawl. The Mules won one game in Wood's first season, then five the next, giving Muleshoe its first. 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.. It wont be long, Wood assures. The Red Raiders beat Michigan State 41-31 on that day. 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. 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.). HomeDirectoryPhotosAboutContactAdvertise. "It's quite an accolade to say I was able to be a part of his life," Wood said. Riley was on the football and track teams at Muleshoe (Tex.) But Ellis knows patience is an important part of his job description. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley watches the Sooners play Iowa State on Nov. 20. 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. Muleshoe residents gather for a livestock auction featuring sheep, hogs and goats. Tech racked up 579 yards of total offense. It was so sudden, Graves says. Evaluate Jason Florez's football recruiting profile. certain: Neither Lincoln nor Garrett wanted to follow their father into the cotton warehouse business. He wasnt afraid to change things up, to do things different from what had been done there. Pride Football camp starts Monday morning. In addition to coaching the Mules to their only state championship in 2008, David Wood put up a. Jalen Hurts could be next for the Sooners. Everyone's a hero in a small town, Wood said. He was a defensive end as a sophomore, but took over the offense in his final two seasons which included one state semifinal finish. 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. Muleshoe ultimately fell short in the state semifinals, losing handily to Forney High, a much larger school, 41-17. Muleshoe dropped a 28-27 decision to Merkel in the area round of the Class 3A Division I playoffs last weekend. "He was a coach on the field for us. "We were Tech fans here because it's close," Todd, the undertaker, announced. Things always change year to year in college football and that's one of the things we enjoy. On his 27th birthday, Riley called plays in a thrilling season-opening 51-49 win over Tulsa in 2010. Hes the young man who helped his alma mater install the spread offense, which led the Mules to a 2008 state championship. CALL. Cattle ranching, dairy farming, wheat, cotton. Wood began with a program that fielded 22 players in a school of about 450 students. As the young mayor explains, change often comes to town at a particularly cautious pace. Call. New USC football coach Lincoln Riley grew up in Muleshoe, Texas. So how'd he end up as Oklahoma's headcoach? 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. It didn't hurt that Riley had the services of quarterback Baker Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy in December. Start End Years Coach Name Record; 1996: 2011: 16: David Wood: 139-51-0: Add Team Photo. Duncan drew close to Riley and McNeill during the Alamo Bowl and was a mentor to the pair until his death on March 12, 2016. only a means to a football end. 1 overall by the Cleveland Browns in last April's NFL Draft. Then cast your vote, Bruce Springsteen adds to mythology with three-hour show at Tulsa's BOK Center, State board approves new academic standards with Ryan Walters' last-minute revisions, More than 800 Oklahoma medical marijuana farms linked to organized crime, drug agency says, Gov. Not that the folks of Muleshoe don't respect Saban and what he's done for the Alabama Crimson Tide. But he did go to school there, walked on to the football team there, and when it became evident that he didn't have the skill to play quarterback there, transitioned to student assistant there. District 514 W. Ave G Muleshoe, Texas . "The value of hard work - I think the community has always been built on that. I havent been following them as much since the boys got bigger and went to different schools. The gridiron, no. 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. By June, however, coach Mike Leach had seen enough. Riley had instant success at East Carolina, and drew job opportunities from four schools. There was a problem saving your notification. 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. Its something that hes excited about. Wood always saw the mind of a coach when Riley was one of his players. (An even smaller coincidence my step dad and Riley are apparently distant, distant cousins). We still attended all the games. Muleshoe Journal Correspondent. Once he decided on the coaching ranks, I figured he'd be climbing up the ladder pretty quickly.. There are many friendship threads in Rileys small hometown of nearly 6,000. Theres no shortage of small-town sleuths here still wondering aloud why Riley up and left the Sooners seemingly overnight. Column: 15 minutes of fame flies by. But it's not as if Riley graduated at the top of his high school class. The following season, Muleshoe went 15-0 and won its only state championship. I said, Ruffin, Ive read all about him. But thats the kind of guy that Ruffin is. Notice something in common about the starting quarterbacks for Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia entering this year? Muleshoes favorite son is now the youngest head coach in major college football. He told his assistants, "We've got to keep him around. "School was not his primary motivation," Marilyn Riley said. The whole town packed into the high school gym that day, glowing as Riley spoke. The Mules only return one all-district player in wide receiver Irvin Torres. Two decades later, folks in town are still happy to relive that run through the state playoffs. Lincoln knows exactly what the heck hes doing. Mike and Marilyn Riley have lived in Muleshoe all of their lives. 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. He looks back fondly on his upbringing in West Texas and the lessons it taught him. Riley showed the coaches just enough that he was invited to join the team in January. Richards also knows the talent that has come out of the program, like Riley brothers Lincoln and Garrett. That part has always been important to me.. Riley played briefly for Texas Tech, but spent more time there coaching than playing. Mayfield and Murray became the No. The expectations for a quick rebuild will be ever-present, trumping any old loyalties. 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. And it's no mirage. Questions? California? 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 was all for it.. That was pretty exciting.. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Mules scored just one touchdown during the entire 1969 season. 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. 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. 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. Editor's note: This story was originally published on August 10, 2017. It's also home to two of the greatest offensive minds in college football. How did Lincoln Riley zoom from Muleshoe High School to the Sooners new head coach? With him, that hasnt been forgotten.. We're very excited, Mike Riley said. Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Jason Richards. Lo and behold, we get there in the team meeting and Lincoln was told, Coach (Leach) isnt coaching this game and guess what? in 1969, the Mules scored a single touchdown during the entire season. The only time they were away was when they attended the University of Texas. Riley is a fierce competitor, but it would be naive to think that Oklahomas upcoming move to the SEC where the Sooners will be one of six programs which expect to annually compete for national championships wasnt something he weighed in making this shocking move west. Still, they somehow became aware of each other at basketball games while playing for rival high schools. He knew exactly how to handle everything from the playcalling to quarterbacks.. 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. blockbuster came in June when Muleshoe's own Lincoln Riley, whose parents Mike and Marilyn still live in Rennels' neighborhood, was named the football coach at the University of Oklahoma soon after the unexpected resignation of Bob Stoops. Muleshoe Football History Previous Seasons All-Time Roster 2022-23 ( 36 players) Head Coach: Reyes, Nic ( Sr.) Martens, Nathan ( So.) In 2017, once Riley took the reins from Stoops, Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff semifinals. But as he and his wife considered the idea, Riley thought of his daughters. You can cancel at any time. Kyle Atwood, a close friend and Rileys leading receiver in high school, expects USC flags to be flying in town soon enough. Before he even went to Oklahoma, he was talking to some other major colleges. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, center, talks with quarterback Caleb Williams (13) and quarterback Spencer Rattler (7) before a game against Iowa State on Nov. 20. Momentum was building, and at quarterback, the attention turned to Riley, who Wood says was set to take the reins as a sophomore. 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. It would be a challenge, Simmons said, but one that the then-26-year-old coach accepted and conquered. He bought us steak knives with Harrell engraved in them, Harrell said. 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. Some speculate the injury mightve changed his trajectory, but the next season, Riley led Muleshoe to new heights as its quarterback anyway. 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. Mike Riley still works in agriculture; he's run a cotton warehouse for years, which means he's been able to get to Norman for a few games each of the last two years, but when the harvest arrives in November, Saturday's a work day. He was telling me about some other opportunities that were in the foresight of his career. Questions? "Everybody knew everybody. But well take him lunch or go to practice.. 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. For many coaches, its difficult to turn the football mind off. The selection committee sorted through 112 applications and interviewed six applicants on Jan. 22 and 23 before determining that Richards would be their choice. 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. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. The Wallace Theatre sits on Muleshoes Main Street. "I thought he was more in the realm of NASA or something like that," Wood said. Some folks waited afterward to get his autograph. Lot of ag people. USC won 11 national titles under icons Howard Jones, John McKay, John Robinson and Pete Carroll. Muleshoe, which would become the seat of Bailey County, then was just a few houses, a school and a cemetery. he led the Mules of Muleshoe, a town of . "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. I cannot wait to get this thing going. He introduced his fianc, the head softball coach at Flour Bluff. When Lincoln attended Texas Tech, about 70 miles northwest of their home, the Rileys cheered for the Red Raiders. 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. 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. Conventional wisdom might tell you to stay in that, thats what you do, and I certainly think that wouldve turned out just fine. Ellis, the mayor, says it felt just like the movies. For a small West Texas town obsessed with football, it was unforgettable. It was a fortuitous first step on a coaching ladder that has led him to. Heres little po-dunk Muleshoe playing in the [Dallas] Cowboys stadium, said Wood, whos now retired. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley stands on the sidelines during a game against Baylor on Nov. 13. Its because he has an exceptional memory a photographic memory. Leach took to introducing Riley, then 23, as the youngest full-time major college assistant coach in the country. Evaluate Brennen Davis's football recruiting profile. 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. Continue reading to hear more about OU's youthful coach. I certainly wont be afraid to do it here.. After two years as OUs offensive coordinator, hell take over as head coach. 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