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. Learn how your comment data is processed. Rogers returned in 1934, an international celebrity. Riley is a Muleshoe native who played quarterback and defensive end for the Mules football team in the late 1990s and early 2000s. 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. Muleshoe Mules Varsity Boys Football Muleshoe, TX FOLLOW TEAM 22-23 V. Football Home Schedule Roster Stats Standings Rankings Photos Videos News More / Muleshoe High School Football Muleshoe Football OVERALL 8-4 0.67 Win % DISTRICT 2-2 3rd in District HOME5-0 AWAY3-3 NEUTRAL0-1 PF318 PA345 STREAK1L Contribute to the Team Complete the Schedule During the season, itll be harder because hell be gone before they are awake and theyll be asleep before he gets home. 4:13. 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. Riley, like many young coaches, has grown over the years. When Riley was a freshman, the Mules won 10, including a playoff game. Ask anyone in Muleshoe about Lincoln, whose first name is enough around these parts, and they swell with pride. MULESHOE, Texas -- Magann Rennels has been on the job as a local television newshound for almost four decades. 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 . It was so sudden, Graves says. 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. The expectations for a quick rebuild will be ever-present, trumping any old loyalties. "We'll see," Riley said. It's pretty much the talk of the town.. Muleshoe Journal Correspondent. Note: Lincoln Riley turns 35 years old today. Wood, determined to put an end to the exodus, noticed a seventh-grader playing at the junior high with "lots [of] football smarts" if not lots of blue-chip skills. Please subscribe to keep reading. 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. 877-845-6272. Find content for all Muleshoe Mules' Football teams covered by MaxPreps over the years. The older he got is when I was more impressed with him. Although rocket science was not to be, he considered pursuing his mother's dream that he study to become a pharmacist. Mike Riley, Lincoln's father and a lifelong Muleshoe resident, said he didn't even know his son was interested in coaching until his senior year of high school. Young kids look up to the varsity kids. Plus, he has the trust of his predecessor. He knew exactly how to handle everything from the playcalling to quarterbacks.. The people in Muleshoe say they didn't know Riley was headed for gridiron greatness. 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. 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. 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. How did Lincoln Riley zoom from Muleshoe High School to the Sooners new head coach? Hes the person who has a spare second for those wanting to talk to him during visits home. 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. Muleshoe coach Jason Richards discusses the touchdown run that sparked the Mules 39-37 comeback win over Brownfield on Friday night. Momentum was building, and at quarterback, the attention turned to Riley, who Wood says was set to take the reins as a sophomore. Will fame (and the fortune of a new $3.1 million annual contract) change Riley? Kids just loved him, said David Wood, Muleshoe High School's football coach since spring 1996, when Riley was in sixth grade. Growing up here, Ellis says, it often felt like you were insulated from the ails of the outside world. Yet, with the aplomb of a seasoned coaching veteran, he guided Oklahoma to a Big 12 championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. Hes a great, great dad, Caitlin Riley said. With Rileys help, the Sooners have won back-to-back Big 12 championships, have had two Heisman Trophy finalists in Baker Mayfield and Dede Westbrook, and a College Football Playoff appearance. Donnie always made sure to see them a couple of times a year, said Big 12 associate commissioner John Underwood, a close friend of Duncans. His grandfather, Claude, was the first, leading the Mules to an undefeated season in 1938. Hard-working. And, from those days as a young coach on Leachs staff, he hasnt let his own pride bog him down. The pride of Muleshoe is the new head coach of Oklahoma football, and to paraphrase a certain Oklahoma humorist, no one ever met a Muleshoe man who didn't like Lincoln Riley. Kind of overwhelmed. But it has come at a price. Some people dont desire to be a head coach. They were married in 2007. Head coach Jason Richards hopes that preseason growth can be turned into regular-season success. He inspired the whole town, Wood said. Most recently, he attended a Garth Brooks concert in Kansas City. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley already has made inroads in Southern California football recruiting, which should help him bolster USCs talent pool. You could see anything in the world just ahead of you. He has deep roots here. With a coach of Rileys pedigree now leading the Trojans, the Pac-12 is unquestionably now USCs for the taking in the coming years. Roster last updated on Nov 14, 2022 @ 4:14pm (GMT) Print Roster Correction All-Time Roster. ", football hit an extended drought in the second half of the 20th century as coaches came and went with remarkable regularity. A lot of times when people get success at a young age, the humble factor tends to get put on the backburner, Simmons said. Muleshoe, a 5,000 population town about 68 miles northwest of Lubbock, sits about 17 miles east of the New Mexico line. ", Riley was named the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma in 2015 after prepping for the position at East Carolina, , his first stop away from Texas Tech, his high school math teacher Debbie Conner told, In Mrs. Conner's honors math class, Riley, routinely dissected problems using shortcuts she never considered and. The Red Raiders beat Michigan State 41-31 on that day. Riley shadowed Leach, a noted night owl, as much as he could. 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. He brought belief and hope. As impressed as Wood was with his Muleshoe quarterback's ability on the field, he was just as amazed by his off-the-field work. He could think on the field unlike anybody else. Lincoln Riley isnt surprised by the towns confusion. That was the best the town had ever done, Wood said, until Lincoln., In West Texas, Muleshoes team was for decades a source of disappointment. David Wood was Rileys high school football coach. Muleshoe Mules Class: 3A Division I DCTF High School Ranking: NR Location: Muleshoe, Texas 2022 District 2-3A Division I Standings Team District Record Overall Record Next Opponent Shallowater Mustangs 4 - 0 10 - 2 Idle Bushland Falcons 3 - 1 11 - 2 Idle Muleshoe Mules 2 - 2 8 - 4 Idle Dalhart Wolves 1 - 3 5 - 6 Idle But I don't know that I would've gone this way without having the great experience back home.". The only time they were away was when they attended the University of Texas. Riley has surpassed actor Lee Horsley as Muleshoe's most famous son. . Their hearts belonged to the Longhorns until sons Lincoln and Garrett went off to college at Texas Tech. He could think on the field unlike anybody else, Wood said. David Wood was Riley's high school football coach. 12 and led the Mules to a state semifinal finish his senior season. A decade later, Lincoln Riley's new contract at Oklahoma calls for a guaranteed $3.1 million a year for five years. , Victor marveled at how much time the older brother spent tutoring elementary school aged Garrett on the football field. All four quarterbacks are in the top five for passing yards in a season. 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. 12.8K views. At USC, expectations are already soaring. Oklahoma cap at lunch alongside Marilyn on Muleshoe's main drag. I am a Haskell Indian Nations University graduate. COURTESY, Grandpa Claude, father Mike and Lincoln Riley, Lincoln and Caitlin Riley are from small Texas towns separated by a 45-minute drive. "I think we've got enough to do some great things, but a lot's gotta happen between now and then. 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. Many of those lakes that Will Rogers saw in the 19th century have now dried out, but the area is prime for agriculture. Muleshoe, just 22 miles from the New Mexico border, is home to the National Mule Memorial. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. A humorist and actor and political pundit and newspaper columnist. 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. The Wallace Theatre sits on Muleshoes Main Street. My daddy would roll over in his grave if I said I was gonna root for USC, Sam Whalin, the schools retired maintenance director, says with a laugh. So how'd he end up as Oklahoma's headcoach? Hes well-versed on David Woods success with the Mules, which included a 2008 state championship. It wont be long, Wood assures. Outside candidates. Wood said he has no plans to coach in the future. Mike Riley, Lincolns father, was a Mules quarterback through some of those down years. The theories are numerous, but some here who know the Rileys wonder if the sprawl of Los Angeles might offer a semblance of anonymity. A look at what Lincoln Rileys USC team could look like come the 2022 season. He wasnt afraid to change things up, to do things different from what had been done there. (Reyes) is a stud. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel. He had a great knack for stuff like that.. "It's quite an accolade to say I was able to be a part of his life," Wood said. This is a 33-year-old who grew up in a rural west Texas town known for its unique name, faith, family and football. That includes a winless 2019 season and missing the playoffs the past two years. Not only did they know him, he would take the time and just visit with those small kids and the junior high kids. Notice something in common about the starting quarterbacks for Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia entering this year? In addition to coaching the Mules to their only state championship in 2008, David Wood put up a. 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. It was a Sunday afternoon game decided by a Hail Mary on the final play. Texas Tech Spring Game moved to Lowrey Field, Lubbock native serves aboard U.S. Navy floating airport, Bo Bryant is Littlefields Head Football Coach/AD, Meadow looking for a new head football coach, AD. When he'd watch film he'd just remember defenses and what not. But well take him lunch or go to practice.. The Mules only return one all-district player in wide receiver Irvin Torres. I cannot wait to get this thing going. He introduced his fianc, the head softball coach at Flour Bluff. Its because he has an exceptional memory a photographic memory. Really? Riley caught Wood's eye as a seventh-grader. By June, however, coach Mike Leach had seen enough. Head Boys Track Coach Aaron Simon. Richards grew up in Clovis, where he was quarterback/defensive back for the high school from 1999-2001. He wasnt afraid to change things up, to do things different from what had been done there. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. As noted in a 2019 Times profile of Riley, Like most boys in West Texas, Riley grew up wanting to be the QB1, not coach him. In West Texas, Muleshoe's team was for decades a source of disappointment. 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