USC coach Lincoln Riley remains a celebrated figure in the Muleshoe High football program. For years, Magann's favorite Muletrain story focused on a local who grew tulip bulbs in a cotton field and shipped them to the Netherlands. A doctor. Riley already has plenty of quality head-coaching experience behind him, plus a hefty new contract approved by the school last month. Just do what got you here, Riley said. Under Walkers leadership, the Mules went 1-19 over the two seasons. The Pecos and Northern Texas Railway companies laid the track here in 1913, cutting through this swath of Bailey County ranchland to connect the growing town of Lubbock to the border of New Mexico. 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. It was kind of fun to be there at the beginning.". She's from Dimmitt, 45 miles away. Jeremiah Barron struggled with injuries last season, but also has the potential to be a versatile player for Muleshoe. Were not allowed to talk about the wind in my program. The whole town packed into the high school gym that day, glowing as Riley spoke. 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. All rights reserved. Everybody is just so proud.". His mind was just brilliant. It would be a challenge, Simmons said, but one that the then-26-year-old coach accepted and conquered. So how'd he end up as Oklahoma's headcoach? And, of course, who knows when those smitten might get engaged or married or when babies will be born? The town would never forget. Many of the standards of the Southwest. Cheerleading Sponsor Cheyanne Cage. To head coach Jason Richards, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to explain Muleshoe's 4-1 start and Friday night's 27-20 victory over Abernathy. But the last 103 years havent been all wins and Roses. I wish I could have recorded Lincoln with how smooth, precise and decisive he was on that night of the game, McNeill said. 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. We are very excited after a lengthy process to introduce Jason Richards and his fianc Miss Angela Scott, said Curtis Preston, president of MISD Board of Trustees. A rocket scientist. When he'd watch film he'd just remember defenses and what not. But I think its a wonderful move.. Thats coming from a program last year (where) we had a sophomore that just got offers from OU, OSU and Texas A&M, Richards said of Flour Bluff offensive guard Johnny Dickson. Ive got to do my best to take advantage of the situation the continuity that was kept on so many different levels: players, staff, so many different people, with how this (coaching transition) went down, Riley said. The work was strenuous enough to teach Lincoln Riley the intended lessons about hard work and responsibility but also to convince him he had no interest in inheriting the family business. 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. CALL. Hed recently been elevated to receivers coach at Texas Tech after years spent endearing himself to then-coach Mike Leach as a student and grad assistant. Muleshoe football, as Riley remembers, was one of the worst programs in the entire state of Texas for a long time.. Column: 15 minutes of fame flies by. Hes just an athletic big kid. Anytime they wanted to bounce something off of someone, Donnie was the person that they talked to , I think it was their mutual love and admiration for college football. 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. Note: Lincoln Riley turns 35 years old today. His youth has been a positive, especially on the recruiting trail. The Muleshoe, Texas, city limit sign is seen in the hometown of new USC coach Lincoln Riley in 2015. The rapid rise of Lincoln Riley, from small-town quarterback to one of the most promising football minds in America, is rooted deep in this arid soil. Registration is at 7:15 to 8:00 at the football field first session is for incoming . But Riley is able to handle the job while spending time with his daughters, Sloan and Stella. Hell never forget his roots, Muleshoe Mayor Cliff Black said last week. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Riley played quarterback and defensive end for Muleshoe High School before graduating in 2002. Head Cross Country/Head Girls Powerlifting Coach . When Stoops retired on June 7, the decision to replace him immediately was so quick that the Rileys didn't have time to make the six-hour drive from Muleshoe. Notice something in common about the starting quarterbacks for Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia entering this year? Muleshoe residents gather for a livestock auction featuring sheep, hogs and goats. Ellis is the third generation to run the funeral home, which his grandfather opened in 1959. "We had great success there throughout our years. He joined The Times after six years with the Southern California News Group. He was telling me about some other opportunities that were in the foresight of his career. They were some complex plays as complex as you can be at 11.. Overnight, the youngest head coach in major college football hailed from the West Texas speck on the map that fell into Channel 6's market. Mules, just as his father Mike had done three decades earlier. 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. Riley showed the coaches just enough that he was invited to join the team in January. In two seasons as Oklahomas coach, Lincoln Riley has had two quarterbacks win the Heisman Trophy. Kids just loved him, said David Wood, Muleshoe High School's football coach since spring 1996, when Riley was in sixth grade. School was. David Wood was Rileys high school football coach. Riley was on the football and track teams at Muleshoe (Tex.) Riley was a defensive end during his sophomore season at Muleshoe, but he was shifted to quarterback for his final two years. "He loved the job and was used to working for nothing.". Start End Years Coach Name Record; 1996: 2011: 16: David Wood: 139-51-0: Add Team Photo. Rodriguez, Alan ( Jr.) Lopez, Jaxher ( Jr.) Dominguez, Ryan ( So.) 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. Ellis is hoping to change that with plans for a new development on the edge of town, a project he hopes might convince folks fleeing Lubbock, 70 miles to the southeast, to take refuge in small-town living. 2023 www.lubbockonline.com. 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. Muleshoe (locals pronounce it mule-SHOE), named in honor of a nearby ranch and developed in 1913 to take advantage of commerce sure to come with newly laid railroad tracks linking Lubbock to New Mexico, was back on the map. "He wasn't a blue-chip athlete," Wood said. Riley, like many young coaches, has grown over the years. Everybody is so supportive. 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.. LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - After two seasons as the Head Football Coach/Athletic Director at Muleshoe High School, Lee Walker has been reassigned. Lincoln Riley isnt surprised by the towns confusion. It's just that they have their own homegrown hero Oklahoma Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley. 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. The Mules won one game in Wood's first season, then five the next, giving Muleshoe its first. He always has. His final game at Muleshoe and last as a quarterback in a competitive game was a senior-year loss in a state semifinal game at old Texas Stadium. You can cancel at any time. Coaches came and went. Richards maintained most of the coaching staff while hiring on four new coaches, all of whom either have a connection to Muleshoe or a general knowledge of west Texas. Will Rogers was a restless 18-year-old in 1898 when he signed on to be a cowboy for the sprawling Mashed O Ranch, which covered parts of Lamb and Bailey counties in the Texas Panhandle. Riley isnt known only as the OU head coach. Conventional wisdom would say that you guys have been smallish-town people. Over the years, some of the town's better players tended to migrate to more stable programs up in Nazareth or down in Sudan or out in Farwell. A lot of times when people get success at a young age, the humble factor tends to get put on the backburner, Simmons said. Hes got size, hes got a great family.. This is a compilation of Muleshoe high school football coach history. Riley's wife Caitlin is also pure West Texas, even if she's not from Muleshoe. Hes ready to be a part of that city and what comes with it. You have permission to edit this article. The only time they were away was when they attended the University of Texas. Success on the intramural field, spurred him to attempt to walk on to the Tech team in the spring of his freshman season. McNeill, who accepted the head coaching position at East Carolina, hired Riley to be his offensive coordinator. Muleshoe dropped a 28-27 decision to Merkel in the area round of the Class 3A Division I playoffs last weekend. Muleshoe, a 5,000 population town about 68 miles northwest of Lubbock, sits about 17 miles east of the New Mexico line. "I think grit, never giving up and just playing . The Sooners lost their CFP semifinal to Georgia, 54-48 in double overtime at the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day, but Riley had led them to a 12-2 record 8-1 against Big 12 teams in just his first season as Stoops' replacement. The Mules won one game in Woods first season, then five the next, giving Muleshoe its first non-losing season in two decades. 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. 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. Still, Lincoln Riley grew up loving the Mules and football, in general. Not that the folks of Muleshoe don't respect Saban and what he's done for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He knew exactly how to handle everything from the playcalling to quarterbacks.. He doubled that win total in his first . However "favorite" and "biggest" were eclipsed when 33-year-old, coach, took over one of America's most storied. It wont be long, Wood assures. Riley caught Wood's eye as a seventh-grader. And then there are the obligatory obits about friends and neighbors. He was only a year or two older than me, but he knew the offense. Riley is pure Muleshoe. 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. It wasnt until Wood came to town in the spring of 1996 that the teams fortunes started to turn around. Many of those lakes that Will Rogers saw in the 19th century have now dried out, but the area is prime for agriculture. Muleshoe football went from one of the worst programs in the state to one of the best. "Oh, no doubt," Wood said Thursday night. Seems that back when Riley. 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. The people in Muleshoe say they didn't know Riley was headed for gridiron greatness. And it's no mirage. 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. New USC football coach Lincoln Riley grew up in Muleshoe, Texas. And perhaps, 2018 will bring another run to the College Football Playoff. One of those guys, not necessarily write things down. Oklahoma mightve tested their allegiances as Texans, but Norman was still the Great Plains. Some speculate the injury mightve changed his trajectory, but the next season, Riley led Muleshoe to new heights as its quarterback anyway. How did Lincoln Riley zoom from Muleshoe High School to the Sooners new head coach? Its like Christmas Eve and Im 6 years old. Lincoln Riley's father doesn't seem to be a big talker. But its also a dream come true. 4:13. Growing up here, Ellis says, it often felt like you were insulated from the ails of the outside world. filled out recruiting questionnaires, his SAT and ACT scores made more impact with some coaches than his measurable football skills. Here's a look back at his Muleshoe, Texas roots. fellow students never quite understood, she said. ", Three Oklahoma stars to keep an eye on in 2017 season, Watch for these three Oklahoma players to have breakout seasons in 2017. What had been done was history or tradition or how theyd always done it, but it wasnt working. Muleshoe, which would become the seat of Bailey County, then was just a few houses, a school and a cemetery. But Muleshoe wanted discipline, he said. 877-845-6272. Aaron Simon, an Angelo State University graduate whos been coaching with Richards for the past nine years, will be the Mules offensive line and associate head coach, while Portales, New Mexico native Chris Mosier the step-brother of former Mule standout receiver Kyle Atwood was hired as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. I had to explain everything to him only once. The Wallace Theatre sits on Muleshoes Main Street. It can be backbreaking work. ", football hit an extended drought in the second half of the 20th century as coaches came and went with remarkable regularity. No one thought it was possible, Riley remembers. And these former Longhorns fans are now supporters of the crimson and cream, as well as the University of Kansas, where their youngest son, Garrett, is the quarterbacks coach. Mike and Marilyn returned home from Austin soon after graduation and eventually took over family-owned cotton warehouses in neighboring Sudan. He spent a couple of days in Muleshoe and wrote about his drover days. Patience and a well-timed recruiting pitch helped USC lure Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma, sending shockwaves through the college football world. Riley also played basketball, baseball and ran track during his youth and high school days, but it was football that piqued his interest. Which brings us to our final topic . Ive never been afraid to go against the grain if I felt like it was the best thing for the team, for the program. Richards tutored all four quarterbacks to all-district honors each of the six years he was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He holds a masters of administration in education from Sam Houston State University, and graduated cum laude with a bachelor of science in physical education from Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, where he was quarterback for the football team. And, from those days as a young coach on Leachs staff, he hasnt let his own pride bog him down. Who can help student-athletes cash in? Oklahoma, where Memorial Stadium could hold 17 times the population of Muleshoe. the after-school healthy snack program would be? Coaches came and went. Its probably one of the most supportive communities youll find in the state of Texas, said Richards, who had been Flour Bluffs offensive coordinator for the past five seasons. Ryan Kartje is the USC beat writer at the Los Angeles Times. Seemingly overnight, the Ivy League discovered Muleshoe. Riley even remembered his old high school while working at Texas Tech. (Courtesy of Bryan Terry / The Oklahoman). He felt that it was a good opportunity for him. Annie Rice/Avalanche-Journal Muleshoe's head football coach Jason Richards reacts to water being poured on him after the team's win against Brownfield in a bi-district playoff football. Momentum was building, and at quarterback, the attention turned to Riley, who Wood says was set to take the reins as a sophomore. In Texas, playing football is practically a birthright. 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. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, USC hires Lincoln Riley: Complete coverage of Trojans shocking coaching move, extended this week all the way to the state Senate, Lincoln Riley jetted for USC, and Oklahoma is left to furiously wonder why, Breaking down the USC roster Lincoln Riley inherits, Rileys arrival signifies a triumphant return, USC football coaches: Glory and gaffes, from Gloomy Gus to Lincoln Riley, Roundtable: Our March Madness projections for UCLA, USC and others. But he dislocated his throwing shoulder before the start of the season trying to make a tackle during a practice. Head Boys Track Coach Aaron Simon. 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. You can also view his personality page at newsok.com/berrytramel. Find Us . But truth be told, Horsley never really was an integral thread in the town's fabric. Riley won the Frank Broyles Award in 2015 for being the nations top assistant coach after his first year at OU, but he nearly missed the ceremony. The news first broke on Twitter by Matt Stepp on December 17 and KCBD Sports confirmed on Christmas Eve. All four quarterbacks are in the top five for passing yards in a season. The theories are numerous, but some here who know the Rileys wonder if the sprawl of Los Angeles might offer a semblance of anonymity. In 1996, David Wood inherited a Muleshoe program that hadn't posted a winning record in 13 years. When Lincoln attended Texas Tech, about 70 miles northwest of their home, the Rileys cheered for the Red Raiders. Davis will be Muleshoes defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after previously being at Texico (New Mexico) High School. David Wood was Riley's high school football coach. Wood said that Riley got the Mules coaching staff into a meeting with Leach before the 2008 season, and then helped the coaches install the Red Raiders spread offense. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley already has made inroads in Southern California football recruiting, which should help him bolster USCs talent pool. 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. "Each year presents new challenges, but there are parts of the job and all the things that come with it that I'm a little more settled in with for sure.". (Reyes) is a stud. Theirs is one of many businesses in town that have been passed down, then passed down again, lending Muleshoe an ingrained sense of continuity and pride. Everyone knows everyone, especially the Muleshoe native whose hiring as OUs coach created shockwaves throughout the college football world. Wood said he envisioned his quarterback working someday for NASA. In each of his first three seasons at Oklahoma, Riley led the Sooners to a 12-1 regular season, only to lose in the College Football Playoff semifinals to Georgia, Alabama and LSU of the Southeastern Conference. Hes going to kind of do everything.. Muleshoe, just 22 miles from the New Mexico border, is home to the National Mule Memorial. Former Mule Jaxon Lee, an AP all-state first team lineman for the squad, rounds out the new hires as the defensive line coach. 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. Once he decided on the coaching ranks, I figured he'd be climbing up the ladder pretty quickly.. Heres everything you need to know about Riley. Richards comes to Muleshoe from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, where he served as offensive coordinator. How USC trainers saved Vincent Iwuchukwu after cardiac arrest, How Lindsay Gottlieb blends family into USCs once-in-a-lifetime season. He looks back fondly on his upbringing in West Texas and the lessons it taught him. "One of the greatest assets our town has is its name," Rennels said. He played out the year on the defensive line instead. Richards grew up in Clovis, where he was quarterback/defensive back for the high school from 1999-2001. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. "I think I took things from him and a lot of my coaches. Rogers returned in 1934, an international celebrity. 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. Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley has agreed to become the next USC football coach. They were married in 2007. One is USC head coach. We have to put things together, do it again. What should student loan borrowers do while waiting for Supreme Court forgiveness ruling? Former Mule Jaxon Lee, an AP all-state first team lineman for the. Muleshoe ultimately fell short in the state semifinals, losing handily to Forney High, a much larger school, 41-17. Their hearts belonged to the Longhorns until sons Lincoln and Garrett went off to college at Texas Tech. And Muleshoe, its a town that backs people from the community. That string of decisions eventually cost Riley any hope he had at playing big-time football. Phone: 918-581-8391. But the rest of Muleshoe moves at a crawl. By June, however, coach Mike Leach had seen enough. 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. In a back corner booth at Leals, where cowboy hats line the front walkway and tables are filling ahead of the lunch rush, Bob Graves is still sorting out his emotions over fresh-baked tortilla chips. After two seasons as the Head Football Coach/Athletic Director at Muleshoe High School, Lee Walker has been reassigned. Editor's note: This story was originally published on August 10, 2017. Wood began with a program that fielded 22 players in a school of about 450 students. I certainly wont be afraid to do it here.. I cannot wait to get in here and meet the kids and staff, Richards said. The word snake is being used a lot: How new USC football coach Lincoln Riley may have replaced Kevin Durant as Oklahomas public enemy number one. 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. "A really exciting time," Rennels called the high-adrenaline week that followed Riley's ascension from offensive coordinator. No new houses, he says, have been built in 15 years. Most recently, he attended a Garth Brooks concert in Kansas City. , Victor marveled at how much time the older brother spent tutoring elementary school aged Garrett on the football field. Over time, some of the Riley stories from those days have come to drift into tall tales, depending on whos telling them. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley yells from the sideline during a game. But I think we saw this move as potentially a chance for them to experience new things, and when they get out in the real world which will come way too quick I want them to have been exposed to different things and different areas and different kinds of people. Davis will be Muleshoe's defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after previously being at Texico (New Mexico) High School. He'd dissect defenses really quickly. He was a defensive end as a sophomore, but took over the offense in his final two seasons which included one state semifinal finish. In West Texas, Muleshoe's team was for decades a source of disappointment. He inspired the whole town, Wood said. Hes gonna make the Trojans a powerhouse again.. CALL. October 1, 2022, 12:22 AM. "He knew all the progressions. Copyright 2019 KCBD. It was a fortuitous first step on a coaching ladder that has led him to. Hard-working. 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. And then theres the part about replacing Bob Stoops. in 1969, the Mules scored a single touchdown during the entire season. Oklahoma University head football coach Lincoln Riley raises the Big 12 Championship trophy after the Sooners beat TCU 41-17 in the conference title game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas last December. Evaluate Jason Florez's football recruiting profile. Athletic Director/Head Football Coach Jason Richards. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. 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 . Richards went on to lead. He is the former high school quarterback who wore No. I just wanted to build on people that wanted to be in Muleshoe and want to get things going again.. In addition to coaching the Mules to their only state championship in 2008, David Wood put up a. He has other big ideas to move Muleshoe forward. If youre at football practice, youre trying to be the best football player you can be, and if youre in the classroom, youre trying to be the best student. As soon as the band quit marching, itd just be a few of us, some parents and the coaches wives in the stands, Stacy Conner, pastor at the First Baptist Church and a Riley family friend, jokes. 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. Georgia was one of them. In Muleshoe, no one needs any convincing. Call. 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. He has deep roots here. But I don't know that I would've gone this way without having the great experience back home.". Born in Muleshoe, he was raised and schooled primarily in Colorado. Maybe even a national title. He once played quarterback for the Muleshoe. He brought belief and hope. Its because he has an exceptional memory a photographic memory. 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. "We'll see," Riley said. It shaped who I am, Riley says. 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. 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. This article originally ran on July 15, 2017. But it was no mirage. USC won 11 national titles under icons Howard Jones, John McKay, John Robinson and Pete Carroll. Hes the person who has a spare second for those wanting to talk to him during visits home. Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. When Riley was a freshman, the Mules won 10, including a playoff game. Mayfield and Murray became the No. I just knew there were things I wanted to try to do. In 2017, once Riley took the reins from Stoops, Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy while leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff semifinals. That part has always been important to me.. Once she was his Sunday school teacher. "It runs how long it needs to," Rennels said. The run still resonates here. You're shaped by your experiences," Riley said. I knew he'd be the best next coach at a major Division I school. There are many friendship threads in Rileys small hometown of nearly 6,000. Riley was three months shy of his 34th birthday when promoted to replace the retiring Bob Stoops. I would put those at the top of the list.". Thats what you grew up in, thats what your daughters are used to, Riley says. 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. 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. The next year, with Mike settling in as quarterback, the Mules won three games. The first quarterback Riley ever coached was none other than USC offensive coordinator Graham Harrell. from the offensive staff at Canyon Randall. They embraced whats good for it.