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. But its what hes always wanted and anticipated. Oklahoma cap at lunch alongside Marilyn on Muleshoe's main drag. 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. "Yeah, hotel right now," he says. A lot of times when people get success at a young age, the humble factor tends to get put on the backburner, Simmons said. COURTESY/Riley family. "I thought he was more in the realm of NASA or something like that," 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. Mike and Marilyn Riley had to settle for the revelry generated in their hometown. The crowd roared. One asset he had last year that he is without this season is Mayfield, who was selected No. Their hearts belonged to the Longhorns until sons Lincoln and Garrett went off to college at Texas Tech. Maybe even an astronaut. Wes Wood has hit the ground running, already meeting with the coaching staff and some of his new players. He felt that it was a good opportunity for him. Harrell told The Times, Really Lincoln was the first person that taught me Mike Leachs offense. Many of those lakes that Will Rogers saw in the 19th century have now dried out, but the area is prime for agriculture. Following the 2009 season, he left his position as the Red Raiders wide receivers coach to become offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at East Carolina under head coach Ruffin McNeill. Los Angeles, on the other hand that felt like a world apart from Muleshoe. Notice something in common about the starting quarterbacks for Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia entering this year? Lincoln has a photographic memory, and when I say that, I really mean it., David Wood, Lincoln Rileys football coach at Muleshoe High. In addition to coaching the Mules to their only state championship in 2008, David Wood put up a. 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. Muleshoe coach Jason Richards discusses the touchdown run that sparked comeback. However "favorite" and "biggest" were eclipsed when 33-year-old, coach, took over one of America's most storied. But well take him lunch or go to practice.. Most recently, he attended a Garth Brooks concert in Kansas City. ", Three Oklahoma stars to keep an eye on in 2017 season, Watch for these three Oklahoma players to have breakout seasons in 2017. According to the Dallas Morning News, the Mules scored just one touchdown during the entire 1969 season. We make it a point to, at least at some point during the day, see him face to face. Over time, some of the Riley stories from those days have come to drift into tall tales, depending on whos telling them. Hes the young man who helped his alma mater install the spread offense, which led the Mules to a 2008 state championship. Column: 15 minutes of fame flies by. But Riley is still so young in the profession, and the longer he stayed in Norman, the more he risked the fan bases appreciation of him running dry. 2003. He could think on the field unlike anybody else, Wood said. Jalen Hurts could be next for the Sooners. CALL. With him, that hasnt been forgotten.. Lincoln has a photographic memory, and when I say that, I really mean it.. Even in the classroom, when the teacher was giving notes, he'd just soak it in. In two seasons as Oklahomas coach, Lincoln Riley has had two quarterbacks win the Heisman Trophy. 4 min read. Hes a great, great dad, Caitlin Riley said. We were so close in age, it became a friendship, but he was a friend I respected. Heres everything you need to know about Riley. certain: Neither Lincoln nor Garrett wanted to follow their father into the cotton warehouse business. Head Cross Country/Head Girls Powerlifting Coach . I told him youd better get in shape because youre probably not going to get a down off, Richards said. USC coach Lincoln Riley is introduced as the Trojans new head football coach at the Coliseum on Nov. 29, in front a bustling city backdrop vastly different than where he grew up. Theres something about being raised in a small town, said his wife, Caitlin Riley. "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. 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. And mirages! 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. Over the past six years, the offense averaged 38 points per game and amassed an average of more than 400 yards per game. Lincoln knows exactly what the heck hes doing. We're pretty exited around here. No telling if the city founders had any inkling the name might itself become a celebrity of sorts. 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. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley already has made inroads in Southern California football recruiting, which should help him bolster USCs talent pool. But the last 103 years havent been all wins and Roses. Riley's wife Caitlin is also pure West Texas, even if she's not from Muleshoe. Richards also knows the talent that has come out of the program, like Riley brothers Lincoln and Garrett. MULESHOE The Muleshoe football team found itself trailing the visiting Brownfield Cubs 23-12 with 22 seconds remaining in the first half when Mules coach Jason Richards thought about taking a . Conventional wisdom would say that you guys have been smallish-town people. Riley played briefly for Texas Tech, but spent more time there coaching than playing. Hes gonna make the Trojans a powerhouse again.. Richards went on to lead. Although rocket science was not to be, he considered pursuing his mother's dream that he study to become a pharmacist. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. The Muleshoe, Texas, city limit sign is seen in the hometown of new USC coach Lincoln Riley in 2015. Its something that weve both always wanted, Caitlin Riley said. Pride Football camp starts Monday morning. He wanted to win in the classroom like he won on the field.". Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), AgTexas Farm Credit awards $9,000 in local scholarships Muleshoe Journal | Intl' Scholarship News, AgTexas Farm Credit awards $9,000 in local scholarships. BREAKING after two seasons Muleshoe has reassigned HFC/AD Lee Walker, Muleshoe is open #txhsfb @dctf. "We had great success there throughout our years. "It's just this year's team," he said. 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"I really . He just knew the game. Mike Riley calls Muleshoe just like a lot of small towns. Things got so bad that during Mike Riley's sophomore year. As is custom, Leal's Mexican Restaurant on West American Boulevard, is packed by noon as pickup trucks clog the dusty parking lot in the shadow of a grain elevator skyline. Lo and behold, we get there in the team meeting and Lincoln was told, Coach (Leach) isnt coaching this game and guess what? A top-10 preseason ranking is expected and, last week, the Sooners were predicted to win their third consecutive Big 12 championship. Riley started in the fifth grade, both officially and in backyard games with neighborhood children. That's part of the challenge you look forward to tackling.". He got an early start, Leach told the Tulsa World last month. But it's not as if Riley graduated at the top of his high school class. 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. They embraced whats good for it. Under Walkers leadership, the Mules went 1-19 over the two seasons. But growing up, he always knew that he would leave. 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. "But he had a really good memory, was really good at math and he was very competitive. Which brings us to our next topic . Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley watches the Sooners play Iowa State on Nov. 20. That string of decisions eventually cost Riley any hope he had at playing big-time football. No one thought it was possible, Riley remembers. I certainly wont be afraid to do it here.. 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. The two weeks since that decision have been a whirlwind in both Los Angeles and Muleshoe, even if the definition differs in both places. MULESHOE, Texas -- Magann Rennels has been on the job as a local television newshound for almost four decades. His family has always been a great part of the community.. Stoops said he wouldnt have retired this offseason if not for his confidence in Riley. Theres no shortage of small-town sleuths here still wondering aloud why Riley up and left the Sooners seemingly overnight. The town would never forget. Head coach Jason Richards hopes that preseason growth can be turned into regular-season success. They celebrated East Carolina University victories when their oldest son spent five seasons as the Pirates offensive coordinator. Patience is the whole key.. Greatness, yes. Lincoln and I had many thoughts he prepared us that way. "I don't think they would havehad to pay him," his father Mike said. Really? Riley will have no shortage of talented quarterbacks to evaluate right here in his new backyard. Ive never been afraid to go against the grain if I felt like it was the best thing for the team, for the program. Kyle Atwood, a close friend and Rileys leading receiver in high school, expects USC flags to be flying in town soon enough. Duncan was receiving a National Football Foundation Legacy Award in New York City at the same time and Riley wanted to be by his mentors side instead. Which brings us to our next topic . 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. "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. It was a fortuitous first step on a coaching ladder that has led him to. He took the whip smart but physically limited quarterback aside and asked him to be a student assistant coach. Honest, hard-working people. 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. The streak ends this year. Muleshoe's high-powered offense is led by junior running back Daniel Sianez (579 yards, 6 TD) and the senior wide receiver duo of Ivan Torres (27 receptions, 293 yards, 2 TD) and Eliasar . 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. As a quarterback, Wood says, his intellect was his greatest asset. On his 27th birthday, Riley called plays in a thrilling season-opening 51-49 win over Tulsa in 2010. There are high expectations. I wish I could have recorded Lincoln with how smooth, precise and decisive he was on that night of the game, McNeill said. But it has come at a price. Coaches came and went. "Surely not an everyday event in these parts.". 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. 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. In the beginning, it was because he was the only guy that was around to watch film with me.. ", football hit an extended drought in the second half of the 20th century as coaches came and went with remarkable regularity. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. That notion crossed his mind the last Sunday morning in November, as he decided within a few hours to leave the comfort of Oklahoma for the uncertainty of USC. Im fired up. He had a great knack for stuff like that.. Cattle ranching, dairy farming, wheat, cotton. Muleshoe residents gather for a livestock auction featuring sheep, hogs and goats. Muleshoe Football History Previous Seasons All-Time Roster 2022-23 ( 36 players) Head Coach: Reyes, Nic ( Sr.) Martens, Nathan ( So.) Donnie trained both of us and patience was a big thing, McNeill said about coaching transitions. 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. MULESHOE, Texas -- Speaking over the phone Friday morning, new USC football coach Lincoln Riley is discussing his adjustment to Los Angeles so far and laughs when asked about his current living arrangement. Just do what got you here, Riley said. Has to have shaped him a little bit.. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The run still resonates here. Note: Lincoln Riley turns 35 years old today. Head Girls Track Coach Adrienne Ross. 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. I just wanted to build on people that wanted to be in Muleshoe and want to get things going again.. And, of course, who knows when those smitten might get engaged or married or when babies will be born? he led the Mules of Muleshoe, a town of . But as he and his wife considered the idea, Riley thought of his daughters. CALL. He could think on the field unlike anybody else. The news first broke on Twitter by Matt Stepp on December 17 and KCBD Sports confirmed on Christmas Eve. (Reyes) is a stud. He was telling me about some other opportunities that were in the foresight of his career. His immediate retirement plan is . Life is too short, so dont be afraid to go for it., USC coach Lincoln Riley on leaving his small hometown of Muleshoe, Texas. Ellis, the mayor, says it felt just like the movies. For a small West Texas town obsessed with football, it was unforgettable. 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. Oklahoma, where Memorial Stadium could hold 17 times the population of Muleshoe.