High, a West Texas town of 5,000. Seeing the Mules football program flourish while learning from his coach, Eric Roanhaus, New Mexicos winningest football coach, added to Richards desire to become a mentor in the football ranks. "That's a good question," he said. Lincoln knows exactly what the heck hes doing. Take a stroll along Main Street in Muleshoe; pay your respects to Old Pete, the mule monument standing guard near Muleshoes only stoplight; hit the livestock auction just outside of town; and maybe stop for a tamale or two during the lunch rush at Leals, the towns beloved gathering spot, and youll start to understand what they mean. 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. 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. Riley played quarterback and defensive end for Muleshoe High School before graduating in 2002. Lincoln Riley Oklahomas new head football coach recently greeted everyone with a smile at Leals Restaurant off the main drag in Muleshoe, Texas. And perhaps, 2018 will bring another run to the College Football Playoff. 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. While at Muleshoe High, Riley learned under the tutelage of David Wood, who just retired last month after 23 years coaching the Mules. Get the latest D-FW sports news, analysis, scores and more. But I think its a wonderful move.. Harrell told The Times, Really Lincoln was the first person that taught me Mike Leachs offense. Gonzalez, Donavan ( Jr.) Vasquez, Uriel ( Sr.) Morales, Aaron ( So.) They were some complex plays as complex as you can be at 11.. A high school portrait of USC football coach Lincoln Riley hangs on the wall of his parents home in Muleshoe, Texas, on Thursday, June 25, 2015. 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. Deep on the dusty plains of West Texas, where grain silos line the sparse landscape and a dry breeze blows loose tufts of cotton across U.S. Route 84, a stretch of railroad runs along a lonely highway. Hes ready to be a part of that city and what comes with it. One newcomer Richards is excited about is Nic Reyes, a 5-foot-11, 275-pound sophomore offensive lineman. This article originally ran on July 15, 2017. But he happily embraced the familys other enduring legacy in town, as the third of four Rileys to quarterback the Muleshoe Mules. McNeill, who accepted the head coaching position at East Carolina, hired Riley to be his offensive coordinator. Dont change anything.. Fans are already convinced Rileys arrival signifies a triumphant return to the Trojans rightful place atop college football. Richards noted the juniors ability to play wide receiver, running back and quarterback on offense as well as defensive back on defense. That will never change.. Riley is a small-town guy, but clearly hes up for an adventure. "Everybody loves him. Muleshoe football, as Riley remembers, was "one of the worst programs in the entire state of Texas for a long time." Mike Riley, Lincoln's father, was a Mules quarterback through some of those down years. 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. It can be backbreaking work. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel. But that's not to say Muleshoe is a one-horse town when it comes to college-football loyalty. 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. I am a Haskell Indian Nations University graduate. Here's a look back at his Muleshoe, Texas roots. But it was no mirage. Not that the folks of Muleshoe don't respect Saban and what he's done for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Roster last updated on Nov 14, 2022 @ 4:14pm (GMT) Print Roster Correction All-Time Roster. LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - After two seasons as the Head Football Coach/Athletic Director at Muleshoe High School, Lee Walker has been reassigned. He is the former high school quarterback who wore No. I said, Ruffin, Ive read all about him. But thats the kind of guy that Ruffin is. Some folks waited afterward to get his autograph. J. Brady McCollough is a sports enterprise reporter for the Los Angeles Times, focusing on national college football and basketball topics. Muleshoe football went from one of the worst programs in the state to one of the best. "Last year's team had a lot of success and that was great. Riley also played basketball, baseball and ran track during his youth and high school days, but it was football that piqued his interest. Hes gonna make the Trojans a powerhouse again.. "Everybody knew everybody. For many coaches, its difficult to turn the football mind off. The biggest story in town history, she said, has to be the dedication of the National Mule Memorial, constructed in homage to the animal that was once farming's beast of burden. He keeps things pretty close to his sleeve, Garrett says. Lincoln Riley isnt surprised by the towns confusion. Hes going to kind of do everything.. It's just that they have their own homegrown hero Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley. Head Girls Track Coach Adrienne Ross. 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. Lincoln Riley's father doesn't seem to be a big talker. Thats a whole nother world than what he grew up in, said Alice Liles, who taught Rileys advanced English class and authored a book on the town. Before he even went to Oklahoma, he was talking to some other major colleges. And then there are the obligatory obits about friends and neighbors. Coaches came and went. Richards comes to Muleshoe from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, where he served as offensive coordinator. I cannot wait to get in here and meet the kids and staff, Richards said. . A top-10 preseason ranking is expected and, last week, the Sooners were predicted to win their third consecutive Big 12 championship. What had been done was history or tradition or how theyd always done it, but it wasnt working. It was a Sunday afternoon game decided by a Hail Mary on the final play. Things always change year to year in college football and that's one of the things we enjoy. "It was a great place to grow up," Riley said on Wednesday afternoon during a telephone interview with The Eastern New Mexico News. The idea of moving to Southern California was, he admits, pretty daunting. He took the whip smart but physically limited quarterback aside and asked him to be a student assistant coach. CALL. He was just more of a kid that soaked it all in. That plains was the prettiest country I ever saw in my life, as flat as a beauty contest winner's stomach, and prairie lakes scattered all over it. From what I understand, Graves says, he wants to build his own program.. A Muleshoe Mule is coaching the Sooners. It was kind of fun to be there at the beginning.". Richards comes to Muleshoe from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, where he served as offensive coordinator. 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. Wood said he has no plans to coach in the future. Two decades later, folks in town are still happy to relive that run through the state playoffs. The day he interviewed, Wood recalls, there were three fights in the schools halls. But after Riley walked on at Texas Tech, then-Red Raiders coach Mike Leach encouraged him to get off . "To see him grow and develop into what he's become, it's pretty remarkable. Theres an intense sense of pride. 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. The people in Muleshoe say they didn't know Riley was headed for gridiron greatness. And mirages! He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. Rogers returned in 1934, an international celebrity. Lincolns father, Mike, ran the familys cotton compress and warehouse in the nearby town of Sudan, putting Lincoln and his younger brother, Garrett, to work hauling bales of cotton via forklift in the hot Texas sun. Call. They say you are raised by a village. And it's no mirage. "I think grit, never giving up and just playing . But as much as he relished playing the game, Riley suspected his playing days were over when he passed on small school college football to attend Texas Tech. Richards went on to lead. 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. Riley is a quarterback whisperer, and Southern California is a five-star quarterback assembly line. 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. But I don't know that I would've gone this way without having the great experience back home.". Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. 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. Like most everyone in town, restaurant owner Victor Leal has a favorite story about his favorite college football coach. Still, they somehow became aware of each other at basketball games while playing for rival high schools. But like L.A., they have complete faith now that Lincoln Riley will deliver. Here are five things every fan should know about the Trojans' new coach. Success on the intramural field, spurred him to attempt to walk on to the Tech team in the spring of his freshman season. He doubled that win total in his first . 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. When Lincoln attended Texas Tech, about 70 miles northwest of their home, the Rileys cheered for the Red Raiders. "He knew all the progressions. "It's quite an accolade to say I was able to be a part of his life," Wood said. Which brings us to our final topic . Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley already has made inroads in Southern California football recruiting, which should help him bolster USCs talent pool. He always has. "He had great math skills, intelligence and a photographic memory, stuff that you just don't see.". MULESHOE, Texas -- Magann Rennels has been on the job as a local television newshound for almost four decades. 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. Notice something in common about the starting quarterbacks for Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia entering this year? He played out the year on the defensive line instead. 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