BFS Story Archive

Feb. 20, 2003
MIKE RILEY RETURNS TO COACH THE BEAVERS

When Erickson left about 9 days ago, my first thought was to hire Riley back. When he was here I thought he was doing a good job and I was sad when he left to go to the NFL. But over the last 9 days the thoughts that we need to have another big name coach to continue what we have crept into my mind and took over and I started thinking that Riley was not the man. Perhaps we needed Hawkins or Jones. But now that Riley is here I realize that the we have a big name coach in Riley and he gives this program what it needs more then anything else right now, stability.

Oregon State has become town where the plane stops before moving on to the big city. Coaches, Athletic Directors and University Presidents have come and gone through Corvallis as regular as flights on Southwest Airlines. The school and the program needs to have a coach that can win and stay put. Riley may be the only coach in the country that can do both at Oregon State.

Mike Riley is literally coming home to coach the Beavers. Riley is an Oregon boy coming home to finish what he started 6 years ago when he first came to Corvallis to coach the Beavers. He is coming home to the town where he grew up, where he went to high school, where he played quarterback and where he won a state championship.

Now Riley, 49 years old, returns to a Beavers team and program that is light years ahead of where it was 4 years ago when he left to take a job in the NFL as the head coach of the San Diego Chargers. Much of the success of the Beavers over the last 4 years is thanks to Dennis Erickson but it was Riley who laid the foundation that Erickson built on. Ten starters from the 2001 Fiesta Bowl team were Riley recruits including Jonathan Smith, Ken Simonton, James Allen, Ryan Atkinson, Calvin Carlyle, Chris Gibson, Keith Heyward-Johnson, Shawn Kintner, Mike Kuykendall, Marty Maurer, Darnell Robinson, Kyle Rosselle, and Vincent Sandoval, with Smith earning the bowl game's Most Valuable Offensive Player and Robinson the Most Valuable Defensive Player honors.

When Riley took over the Beavers program from Jerry Pettibone in 1997, the Beavers were coming off another losing season (one of many) and had a wishbone offense and a wishbone quarterback. The Beavers did not fair much better their next season going 3-8. But in 1998, Riley's recruiting took hold and the Beavers finished the season at 5-6 with perhaps the greatest civil war game of all time, a 44-41 double overtime win over the Ducks. It was the first time in 28 years that the Beavers had won 5 games and they were close to winning 7 or 8 games.

Riley had dug the raw diamond out to the earth and exposed it to the light of day for the first time in its life. Erickson took that diamond, cut it and turned it into a precious gem. Now Riley has to take that gemstone and display it and maintain it.

With a stadium expansion on the horizon and the program in the light of day, Riley has to just keep the ball rolling. With his recruiting skills and his desire to be "The Beavers Head Coach" I think that the Beavers will be in good hands. In the world of college football, with all the big money out there and temptations of bigger and better opportunities for coaches to achieve, it is refreshing to know we have a coach that really wants to be here and it is not just a stop to somewhere else.

So good job Bob in getting Riley back home. Now lets all take a deep breath and relax because we can now move on to spring football. Good Luck Mike and GO BEAVERS!

Mike Riley's Coaching Resume

1975 Graduate Assistant Coach, University of California
1976 Graduate Assistant Coach, Whitworth College (Spokane)
1977-82 Defensive Coordinator, Linfield College (McMinnville, OR)
1983-85 Secondary Coach, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
1986 Defensive Coordinator, Northern Colorado University
1987-90 Head Coach, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)
Grey Cup champions in 1990, two-time CFL Coach of the Year
1991-92 Head Coach, San Antonio Riders (World League)
1993-96 Offensive Coordinator, University of Southern California
1997-98 Head Coach, Oregon State University
1999-2001 Head Coach, San Diego Chargers (NFL)
2002 Assistant Head Coach, New Orleans Saints (NFL)

BFS