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A little about Riley - from an Outsider

Oct 4, 2017
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A Little about Mike Riley from an Outsider:

I was born in California and raised throughout the West Coast, where I met my wife (a Nebraska grad), who eventually dragged me to the Midwest to raise a family.

I am familiar with Mike Riley for 3 reasons: 1) I’m a lifetime PAC10 fan, 2) my wife is an avid Husker fan, which makes me a fan, 3) a conversation I had with Mike Bellotti circa 2011 at a fund-raiser. (and a Mike Riley handshake in a hotel lobby in 2005)

Having lived in the PAC10 footprint most of my life, I knew of and always found Mike Riley intriguing, but my knowledge of Riley only really increased both after my conversation with Bolletti and again when he was named head coach of Nebraska

For those that don’t know Mike Bellotti, he is Oregon’s winningest Head coach of all-time, mentor to Chip Kelly and Chris Peterson, and coached directly against Mike Riley in 97/98 and again from 2003-2009. Upon meeting Bellotti, short on time, I awkwardly asked – “who is the greatest coach you ever coached against?”. While he did not answer my question directly, he did offer up the following 2 nuggets: 1) that he knew of nobody that could do more with less than Mike Riley, and 2) that he felt Riley would have been a national household name and won a national championship if he would have been willing to leave his home state of Oregon earlier in his career.

Why was Bellotti so easy with his praise of Riley that day? I think to understand, one has to dig a little deeper……

The common refrain I hear from Husker fans when I am out w/ my wife watching a Nebraska game goes something like this: “Riley is just a mediocre 500 coach who has never won a thing”. Does that represent the majority of what people think? Like a rushed national writer trying to hit a deadline, does the average Nebraska fan do a 10 second google search of his record at Oregon State, draw a conclusion, and then call it a day?

How many people know that at the age of 24, Riley became the defensive coordinator of Linfield College and over the next 6 years coached them to a 52-7-1 record, 5 conferences titles and a NAIA National Championship at the age of 29.

How many people know that at the age of 33, Mike Riley become the 2nd youngest head coach in the 75 year history of the Canadian Football League (the legendary Bud Grant being the youngest), and in his very first season became the youngest coach to ever win the Grey Cup, only to turn around and do it again 2 years later at the age of 35.

How many people know that at the age of 38, USC hired Mike Riley to be QB/Assistant Head Coach and then immediately won 2 Pac10 titles, with QB Rob Johnson braking numerous NCAA QB records.

My favorite: How many people know that in 1997, Mike Riley inherited a Jerry Pettibone wishbone triple threat Oregon State football team (the undisputed 30yr doormat of college football, Avg 2 wins a season). In his first year he installed a pro-style offense. By year 2 he came within 1 point (twice) of breaking a streak of 27 consecutive losing seasons. By year 4 (having handed the team over to Dennis Erickson in Year 3), Oregon State won the PAC10 title, the Fiesta Bowl, and finished the season ranked 4th in the country. To this day, Erickson credits Mike Riley for laying the foundation for that miraculous season.

How many people know that upon his return from the NFL to Oregon State in 2003, with the worst talent (per recruiting services), facilities and resources in the PAC10, that over the next 7 seasons, the only 2 teams that had a better conference record were USC (Carroll) and Oregon (Bellotti). - the same record as Cal, and significantly better than Arizona, ASU, Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Washington State.

How many people know that over those 7 seasons only 3 PAC10 coaches retained their jobs: Pete Carrol, Mike Riley and Tedford, and that Oregon State went 5-1 in bowl games.

How many people know that the following are Oregon State’s football winning % before, during and after Mike Riley was head-coach:

- Before / Doormat of College Football: 19% winning percent (2 wins/year)
- During / 2003-09: 64% winning percent
- During / 2010-14: 47% winning percent (see below)
- After / Gary Anderson Era: 24% winning percent

How many people know that he has been named, NAIA assistant coach of the year, Pac10 assistant coach of the year, Pac10 Coach of the year, CFL Coach of the year (twice), and in 2014 his Power 5 head coaching peers voted him the most underrated coach in College Football?

So that leaves just 2 relatively short periods of his 40 year coaching career where Riley saw limited or no success:

Three unsuccessful years in the NFL (think Saban, Spurrier, Holtz, Petrino, Chip Kelly, etc.) and five very average years (2010-14) at Oregon State where he went 0-10 against Oregon and Stanford (think Phil Knight-Oregon/John Arrillaga-Stanford $150+ million arms race) but a respectable 29-23 against rest of PAC10 (again with the least amount of talent). This widening un-level playing field was ultimately a key factor in him leaving OSU and coming to Nebraska.

Except for the NFL, Mike Riley has had an immediate and positive impact that resulted in either championships or significantly higher performance at every step of his career (NAIA, CFL, USC, and Oregon State twice). Every place he went got significantly better, every place he left got significantly worse.

As an outsider, who admittedly is not quite as emotionally attached as you all, my only thought about the situation is pretty simple. Based on Riley’s past, I think the odds are significantly greater of winning a BIG10 Title sooner if you stick with Riley, rather than blowing it up and starting all over again. (lest we forget in year 2 he came within one play on the road of winning the BIG10 West with an” island of misfit toys” and a dumbed-down modified scheme).

Mike Riley has overachieved in almost every endeavor he has ever undertaken. If given the right amount of time, Riley will win at Nebraska and win consistently. If Riley can win 2 state championships (player), a NCAA football national championship (player), an NAIA championship (coach), two Canadian Football League Championships (coach), and two PAC10 championships (assistant head coach), and nearly win a PAC10 championship as a head coach with lesser talent (imagine Illinois), then he will win a BIG10 Championship with Nebraska’s resources.

There are many more Riley stories (his association w/ Tom Brady, Bear Bryant, Major Ogilvie, etc..) but let me leave you with one last thought.

How many people know that Mike Riley has coached in College football for 38 years, (held numerous positions, turned down numerous positions) and not once in those 38 years, not a single time, has he ever been fired. I guess there’s always a first time for everything though. Be careful what you wish for.

Go Big Red!
 
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"Upon meeting Bottelli, short on time, I awkwardly asked – “who is the greatest coach you ever coached against?"

When you met Mike Bellotti did you call him Bottelli then ??
 
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How many people know that Mike Riley has coached in College football for 38 years, (held numerous positions, turned down numerous positions) and not once in those 38 years, not a single time, has he ever been fired.

That likely would have changed had he stayed at Oregon State. He would not have left Corvallis if he weren't on the hot seat there. I think with the lack of talent he had returning in 2015, he knew a 2-10 type season was highly probable.

I would liked to have seen what Riley could have done at a major program in his coaching prime, but at this stage of his career I can't see him beating the likes of Meyer, Harbaugh, and Franklin to win championships. Hopefully he proves me wrong.
 
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Yeah, that 10 second google search showed us he lost 13 of his last 15 PAC 12 games. Being the big Pac 12 fan that you are, I am sure that impressed you, too.

I have a friend that works in the NFL and knows Bill Callahan well. Says he's a great guy and a great coach. See a trend here?
 
A Little about Mike Riley from an Outsider: Thank you for the food for thought. We are a dumpster fire and he is Smokey the Bear. I think he will turn this program around for the good !

I was born in California and raised throughout the West Coast, where I met my wife (a Nebraska grad), who eventually dragged me to the Midwest to raise a family.

I am familiar with Mike Riley for 3 reasons: 1) I’m a lifetime PAC10 fan, 2) my wife is an avid Husker fan, which makes me a fan, 3) a conversation I had with Mike Bolletti circa 2011 at a fund-raiser. (and a Mike Riley handshake in a hotel lobby in 2005)

Having lived in the PAC10 footprint most of my life, I knew of and always found Mike Riley intriguing, but my knowledge of Riley only really increased both after my conversation with Bottelli and again when he was named head coach of Nebraska

For those that don’t know Mike Bolletti, he is Oregon’s winningest Head coach of all-time, mentor to Chip Kelly and Chris Peterson, and coached directly against Mike Riley in 97/98 and again from 2003-2009. Upon meeting Bolletti, short on time, I awkwardly asked – “who is the greatest coach you ever coached against?”. While he did not answer my question directly, he did offer up the following 2 nuggets: 1) that he knew of nobody that could do more with less than Mike Riley, and 2) that he felt Riley would have been a national household name and won a national championship if he would have been willing to leave his home state of Oregon earlier in his career.

Why was Bolletti so easy with his praise of Riley that day? I think to understand, one has to dig a little deeper……

The common refrain I hear from Husker fans when I am out w/ my wife watching a Nebraska game goes something like this: “Riley is just a mediocre 500 coach who has never won a thing”. Does that represent the majority of what people think? Like a rushed national writer trying to hit a deadline, does the average Nebraska fan do a 10 second google search of his record at Oregon State, draw a conclusion, and then call it a day?

How many people know that at the age of 24, Riley became the defensive coordinator of Linden College and over the next 6 years coached them to a 52-7-1 record, 5 conferences titles and a NAIA National Championship at the age of 29.

How many people know that at the age of 33, Mike Riley become the 2nd youngest head coach in the 75 year history of the Canadian Football League (the legendary Bud Grant being the youngest), and in his very first season became the youngest coach to ever win the Grey Cup, only to turn around and do it again 2 years later at the age of 35.

How many people know that at the age of 38, USC hired Mike Riley to be QB/Assistant Head Coach and then immediately won 2 Pac10 titles, with QB Rob Johnson braking numerous NCAA QB records.

My favorite: How many people know that in 1997, Mike Riley inherited a Jerry Pettibone wishbone triple threat Oregon State football team (the undisputed 30yr doormat of college football, Avg 2 wins a season). In his first year he installed a pro-style offense. By year 2 he came within 1 point (twice) of breaking a streak of 27 consecutive losing seasons. By year 4 (having handed the team over to Dennis Erickson in Year 3), Oregon State won the PAC10 title, the Fiesta Bowl, and finished the season ranked 4th in the country. To this day, Erickson credits Mike Riley for laying the foundation for that miraculous season.

How many people know that upon his return from the NFL to Oregon State in 2003, with the worst talent (per recruiting services), facilities and resources in the PAC10, that over the next 7 seasons, the only 2 teams that had a better conference record were USC (Carroll) and Oregon (Bolletti). - the same record as Cal, and significantly better than Arizona, ASU, Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Washington State.

How many people know that over those 7 seasons only 3 PAC10 coaches retained their jobs: Pete Carrol, Mike Riley and Tedford, and that Oregon State went 5-1 in bowl games.

How many people know that the following are Oregon State’s football winning % before, during and after Mike Riley was head-coach:

- Before / Doormat of College Football: 19% winning percent (2 wins/year)
- During / 2003-09: 64% winning percent
- During / 2010-14: 47% winning percent (see below)
- After / Gary Anderson Era: 24% winning percent

How many people know that he has been named, NAIA assistant coach of the year, Pac10 assistant coach of the year, Pac10 Coach of the year, CFL Coach of the year (twice), and in 2014 his Power 5 head coaching peers voted him the most underrated coach in College Football?

So that leaves just 2 relatively short periods of his 40 year coaching career where Riley saw limited or no success:

Three unsuccessful years in the NFL (think Saban, Spurrier, Holtz, Petrino, Chip Kelly, etc.) and five very average years (2010-14) at Oregon State where he went 0-10 against Oregon and Stanford (think Phil Knight-Oregon/John Allegeri-Stanford $150+ million arms race) but a respectable 29-23 against rest of PAC10 (again with the least amount of talent). This widening un-level playing field was ultimately a key factor in him leaving OSU and coming to Nebraska.

Except for the NFL, Mike Riley has had an immediate and positive impact that resulted in either championships or significantly higher performance at every step of his career (NAIA, CFL, USC, and Oregon State twice). Every place he went got significantly better, every place he left got significantly worse.

As an outsider, who admittedly is not quite as emotionally attached as you all, my only thought about the situation is pretty simple. Based on Riley’s past, I think the odds are significantly greater of winning a BIG10 Title sooner if you stick with Riley, rather than blowing it up and starting all over again. (lest we forget in year 2 he came within one play on the road of winning the BIG10 West with an” island of misfit toys” and a dumbed-down modified scheme).

Mike Riley has overachieved in almost every endeavor he has ever undertaken. If given the right amount of time, Riley will win at Nebraska and win consistently. If Riley can win 2 state championships (player), a NCAA football national championship (player), an NAIA championship (coach), two Canadian Football League Championships (coach), and two PAC10 championships (assistant head coach), and nearly win a PAC10 championship as a head coach with lesser talent (imagine Illinois), then he will win a BIG10 Championship with Nebraska’s resources.

There are many more Riley stories (his association w/ Tom Brady, Bear Bryant, Major Ogilvie, etc..) but let me leave you with one last thought.

How many people know that Mike Riley has coached in College football for 38 years, (held numerous positions, turned down numerous positions) and not once in those 38 years, not a single time, has he ever been fired. I guess there’s always a first time for everything though. Be careful what you wish for.

Go Big Red!
 
Yeah, that 10 second google search showed us he lost 13 of his last 15 PAC 12 games. Being the big Pac 12 fan that you are, I am sure that impressed you, too.

I have a friend that works in the NFL and knows Bill Callahan well. Says he's a great guy and a great coach. See a trend here?
Way to base his career on his last 15 games. You are amazing!
 
Mike's a nice guy and I'm sure people in Oregon like him. But are you going to make a big deal out of not getting fired? Fill us in on how his last meeting with the OSU AD went.
 
A Little about Mike Riley from an Outsider:

I was born in California and raised throughout the West Coast, where I met my wife (a Nebraska grad), who eventually dragged me to the Midwest to raise a family.

I am familiar with Mike Riley for 3 reasons: 1) I’m a lifetime PAC10 fan, 2) my wife is an avid Husker fan, which makes me a fan, 3) a conversation I had with Mike Bolletti circa 2011 at a fund-raiser. (and a Mike Riley handshake in a hotel lobby in 2005)

Having lived in the PAC10 footprint most of my life, I knew of and always found Mike Riley intriguing, but my knowledge of Riley only really increased both after my conversation with Bolletti and again when he was named head coach of Nebraska

For those that don’t know Mike Bolletti, he is Oregon’s winningest Head coach of all-time, mentor to Chip Kelly and Chris Peterson, and coached directly against Mike Riley in 97/98 and again from 2003-2009. Upon meeting Bolletti, short on time, I awkwardly asked – “who is the greatest coach you ever coached against?”. While he did not answer my question directly, he did offer up the following 2 nuggets: 1) that he knew of nobody that could do more with less than Mike Riley, and 2) that he felt Riley would have been a national household name and won a national championship if he would have been willing to leave his home state of Oregon earlier in his career.

Why was Bolletti so easy with his praise of Riley that day? I think to understand, one has to dig a little deeper……

The common refrain I hear from Husker fans when I am out w/ my wife watching a Nebraska game goes something like this: “Riley is just a mediocre 500 coach who has never won a thing”. Does that represent the majority of what people think? Like a rushed national writer trying to hit a deadline, does the average Nebraska fan do a 10 second google search of his record at Oregon State, draw a conclusion, and then call it a day?

How many people know that at the age of 24, Riley became the defensive coordinator of Linden College and over the next 6 years coached them to a 52-7-1 record, 5 conferences titles and a NAIA National Championship at the age of 29.

How many people know that at the age of 33, Mike Riley become the 2nd youngest head coach in the 75 year history of the Canadian Football League (the legendary Bud Grant being the youngest), and in his very first season became the youngest coach to ever win the Grey Cup, only to turn around and do it again 2 years later at the age of 35.

How many people know that at the age of 38, USC hired Mike Riley to be QB/Assistant Head Coach and then immediately won 2 Pac10 titles, with QB Rob Johnson braking numerous NCAA QB records.

My favorite: How many people know that in 1997, Mike Riley inherited a Jerry Pettibone wishbone triple threat Oregon State football team (the undisputed 30yr doormat of college football, Avg 2 wins a season). In his first year he installed a pro-style offense. By year 2 he came within 1 point (twice) of breaking a streak of 27 consecutive losing seasons. By year 4 (having handed the team over to Dennis Erickson in Year 3), Oregon State won the PAC10 title, the Fiesta Bowl, and finished the season ranked 4th in the country. To this day, Erickson credits Mike Riley for laying the foundation for that miraculous season.

How many people know that upon his return from the NFL to Oregon State in 2003, with the worst talent (per recruiting services), facilities and resources in the PAC10, that over the next 7 seasons, the only 2 teams that had a better conference record were USC (Carroll) and Oregon (Bolletti). - the same record as Cal, and significantly better than Arizona, ASU, Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Washington State.

How many people know that over those 7 seasons only 3 PAC10 coaches retained their jobs: Pete Carrol, Mike Riley and Tedford, and that Oregon State went 5-1 in bowl games.

How many people know that the following are Oregon State’s football winning % before, during and after Mike Riley was head-coach:

- Before / Doormat of College Football: 19% winning percent (2 wins/year)
- During / 2003-09: 64% winning percent
- During / 2010-14: 47% winning percent (see below)
- After / Gary Anderson Era: 24% winning percent

How many people know that he has been named, NAIA assistant coach of the year, Pac10 assistant coach of the year, Pac10 Coach of the year, CFL Coach of the year (twice), and in 2014 his Power 5 head coaching peers voted him the most underrated coach in College Football?

So that leaves just 2 relatively short periods of his 40 year coaching career where Riley saw limited or no success:

Three unsuccessful years in the NFL (think Saban, Spurrier, Holtz, Petrino, Chip Kelly, etc.) and five very average years (2010-14) at Oregon State where he went 0-10 against Oregon and Stanford (think Phil Knight-Oregon/John Arrillaga-Stanford $150+ million arms race) but a respectable 29-23 against rest of PAC10 (again with the least amount of talent). This widening un-level playing field was ultimately a key factor in him leaving OSU and coming to Nebraska.

Except for the NFL, Mike Riley has had an immediate and positive impact that resulted in either championships or significantly higher performance at every step of his career (NAIA, CFL, USC, and Oregon State twice). Every place he went got significantly better, every place he left got significantly worse.

As an outsider, who admittedly is not quite as emotionally attached as you all, my only thought about the situation is pretty simple. Based on Riley’s past, I think the odds are significantly greater of winning a BIG10 Title sooner if you stick with Riley, rather than blowing it up and starting all over again. (lest we forget in year 2 he came within one play on the road of winning the BIG10 West with an” island of misfit toys” and a dumbed-down modified scheme).

Mike Riley has overachieved in almost every endeavor he has ever undertaken. If given the right amount of time, Riley will win at Nebraska and win consistently. If Riley can win 2 state championships (player), a NCAA football national championship (player), an NAIA championship (coach), two Canadian Football League Championships (coach), and two PAC10 championships (assistant head coach), and nearly win a PAC10 championship as a head coach with lesser talent (imagine Illinois), then he will win a BIG10 Championship with Nebraska’s resources.

There are many more Riley stories (his association w/ Tom Brady, Bear Bryant, Major Ogilvie, etc..) but let me leave you with one last thought.

How many people know that Mike Riley has coached in College football for 38 years, (held numerous positions, turned down numerous positions) and not once in those 38 years, not a single time, has he ever been fired. I guess there’s always a first time for everything though. Be careful what you wish for.

Go Big Red!

Jeez.... how many people know... Bro, you cannot lose to Northern Illinois at home and be 17-13 at a big time program and NOT be on the hot seat!
 
Way to base his career on his last 15 games. You are amazing!

Riley is 64 years old and in his last 6 seasons is 39-30 as a head coach.
I'm much more amazed at the people who think the guy has some kind of limitless potential at this point in his career then those that question it.
 
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A Little about Mike Riley from an Outsider:

I was born in California and raised throughout the West Coast, where I met my wife (a Nebraska grad), who eventually dragged me to the Midwest to raise a family.

I am familiar with Mike Riley for 3 reasons: 1) I’m a lifetime PAC10 fan, 2) my wife is an avid Husker fan, which makes me a fan, 3) a conversation I had with Mike Bolletti circa 2011 at a fund-raiser. (and a Mike Riley handshake in a hotel lobby in 2005)

Having lived in the PAC10 footprint most of my life, I knew of and always found Mike Riley intriguing, but my knowledge of Riley only really increased both after my conversation with Bolletti and again when he was named head coach of Nebraska

For those that don’t know Mike Bolletti, he is Oregon’s winningest Head coach of all-time, mentor to Chip Kelly and Chris Peterson, and coached directly against Mike Riley in 97/98 and again from 2003-2009. Upon meeting Bolletti, short on time, I awkwardly asked – “who is the greatest coach you ever coached against?”. While he did not answer my question directly, he did offer up the following 2 nuggets: 1) that he knew of nobody that could do more with less than Mike Riley, and 2) that he felt Riley would have been a national household name and won a national championship if he would have been willing to leave his home state of Oregon earlier in his career.

Why was Bolletti so easy with his praise of Riley that day? I think to understand, one has to dig a little deeper……

The common refrain I hear from Husker fans when I am out w/ my wife watching a Nebraska game goes something like this: “Riley is just a mediocre 500 coach who has never won a thing”. Does that represent the majority of what people think? Like a rushed national writer trying to hit a deadline, does the average Nebraska fan do a 10 second google search of his record at Oregon State, draw a conclusion, and then call it a day?

How many people know that at the age of 24, Riley became the defensive coordinator of Linden College and over the next 6 years coached them to a 52-7-1 record, 5 conferences titles and a NAIA National Championship at the age of 29.

How many people know that at the age of 33, Mike Riley become the 2nd youngest head coach in the 75 year history of the Canadian Football League (the legendary Bud Grant being the youngest), and in his very first season became the youngest coach to ever win the Grey Cup, only to turn around and do it again 2 years later at the age of 35.

How many people know that at the age of 38, USC hired Mike Riley to be QB/Assistant Head Coach and then immediately won 2 Pac10 titles, with QB Rob Johnson braking numerous NCAA QB records.

My favorite: How many people know that in 1997, Mike Riley inherited a Jerry Pettibone wishbone triple threat Oregon State football team (the undisputed 30yr doormat of college football, Avg 2 wins a season). In his first year he installed a pro-style offense. By year 2 he came within 1 point (twice) of breaking a streak of 27 consecutive losing seasons. By year 4 (having handed the team over to Dennis Erickson in Year 3), Oregon State won the PAC10 title, the Fiesta Bowl, and finished the season ranked 4th in the country. To this day, Erickson credits Mike Riley for laying the foundation for that miraculous season.

How many people know that upon his return from the NFL to Oregon State in 2003, with the worst talent (per recruiting services), facilities and resources in the PAC10, that over the next 7 seasons, the only 2 teams that had a better conference record were USC (Carroll) and Oregon (Bolletti). - the same record as Cal, and significantly better than Arizona, ASU, Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Washington State.

How many people know that over those 7 seasons only 3 PAC10 coaches retained their jobs: Pete Carrol, Mike Riley and Tedford, and that Oregon State went 5-1 in bowl games.

How many people know that the following are Oregon State’s football winning % before, during and after Mike Riley was head-coach:

- Before / Doormat of College Football: 19% winning percent (2 wins/year)
- During / 2003-09: 64% winning percent
- During / 2010-14: 47% winning percent (see below)
- After / Gary Anderson Era: 24% winning percent

How many people know that he has been named, NAIA assistant coach of the year, Pac10 assistant coach of the year, Pac10 Coach of the year, CFL Coach of the year (twice), and in 2014 his Power 5 head coaching peers voted him the most underrated coach in College Football?

So that leaves just 2 relatively short periods of his 40 year coaching career where Riley saw limited or no success:

Three unsuccessful years in the NFL (think Saban, Spurrier, Holtz, Petrino, Chip Kelly, etc.) and five very average years (2010-14) at Oregon State where he went 0-10 against Oregon and Stanford (think Phil Knight-Oregon/John Arrillaga-Stanford $150+ million arms race) but a respectable 29-23 against rest of PAC10 (again with the least amount of talent). This widening un-level playing field was ultimately a key factor in him leaving OSU and coming to Nebraska.

Except for the NFL, Mike Riley has had an immediate and positive impact that resulted in either championships or significantly higher performance at every step of his career (NAIA, CFL, USC, and Oregon State twice). Every place he went got significantly better, every place he left got significantly worse.

As an outsider, who admittedly is not quite as emotionally attached as you all, my only thought about the situation is pretty simple. Based on Riley’s past, I think the odds are significantly greater of winning a BIG10 Title sooner if you stick with Riley, rather than blowing it up and starting all over again. (lest we forget in year 2 he came within one play on the road of winning the BIG10 West with an” island of misfit toys” and a dumbed-down modified scheme).

Mike Riley has overachieved in almost every endeavor he has ever undertaken. If given the right amount of time, Riley will win at Nebraska and win consistently. If Riley can win 2 state championships (player), a NCAA football national championship (player), an NAIA championship (coach), two Canadian Football League Championships (coach), and two PAC10 championships (assistant head coach), and nearly win a PAC10 championship as a head coach with lesser talent (imagine Illinois), then he will win a BIG10 Championship with Nebraska’s resources.

There are many more Riley stories (his association w/ Tom Brady, Bear Bryant, Major Ogilvie, etc..) but let me leave you with one last thought.

How many people know that Mike Riley has coached in College football for 38 years, (held numerous positions, turned down numerous positions) and not once in those 38 years, not a single time, has he ever been fired. I guess there’s always a first time for everything though. Be careful what you wish for.

Go Big Red!
Thank You for posting that. I seen signs of our oline looking like they knew what they were doing, pass blocking last week. I hope riley gets at least 2 more years after this year. just to see how he does when he has a good chance to get things they way he see's fit.
 
Looks like you put some time and thought into the OP, so I'll try to respond in a rational manner.

All of us could argue about the exact number, I'm gonna use a number around 20. There's 20 or so college football programs that are gonna expect their coach to put together winning seasons. Not just one season or every other season, but consistent average or better results. These schools don't give a coach a "chance". They're not hired on a "chance". They're hired with an expectation that wins will be delivered with maybe a mulligan here or there. If you take the other 40 or so power 5 schools, they allow more leeway, but there is still an expectation of improvement and at least occasional bowl appearances for the most part. This isn't about national championships, conference championships, or even division winners, our team has looked straight-up bad. The defense swapped schemes, I expected growing pains. Our offensive performance is inexcusable.

I acknowledge a need for consistency in our football program's leadership. But that consistency does not come at just any old price or for free. It's paid for by delivering winning seasons. Hope gets you out of bed in the morning, results bring home the paycheck.

The Huskers may improve, decline, or stay on the current trajectory over the course of this year. Riley will get the credit or the blame based upon the performance of the team that he is ultimately responsible for. Who even knows if Riley is in a do-or-die situation this year. I can only speculate.
 
A Little about Mike Riley from an Outsider:

I was born in California and raised throughout the West Coast, where I met my wife (a Nebraska grad), who eventually dragged me to the Midwest to raise a family.

I am familiar with Mike Riley for 3 reasons: 1) I’m a lifetime PAC10 fan, 2) my wife is an avid Husker fan, which makes me a fan, 3) a conversation I had with Mike Bolletti circa 2011 at a fund-raiser. (and a Mike Riley handshake in a hotel lobby in 2005)

Having lived in the PAC10 footprint most of my life, I knew of and always found Mike Riley intriguing, but my knowledge of Riley only really increased both after my conversation with Bolletti and again when he was named head coach of Nebraska

For those that don’t know Mike Bolletti, he is Oregon’s winningest Head coach of all-time, mentor to Chip Kelly and Chris Peterson, and coached directly against Mike Riley in 97/98 and again from 2003-2009. Upon meeting Bolletti, short on time, I awkwardly asked – “who is the greatest coach you ever coached against?”. While he did not answer my question directly, he did offer up the following 2 nuggets: 1) that he knew of nobody that could do more with less than Mike Riley, and 2) that he felt Riley would have been a national household name and won a national championship if he would have been willing to leave his home state of Oregon earlier in his career.

Why was Bolletti so easy with his praise of Riley that day? I think to understand, one has to dig a little deeper……

The common refrain I hear from Husker fans when I am out w/ my wife watching a Nebraska game goes something like this: “Riley is just a mediocre 500 coach who has never won a thing”. Does that represent the majority of what people think? Like a rushed national writer trying to hit a deadline, does the average Nebraska fan do a 10 second google search of his record at Oregon State, draw a conclusion, and then call it a day?

How many people know that at the age of 24, Riley became the defensive coordinator of Linden College and over the next 6 years coached them to a 52-7-1 record, 5 conferences titles and a NAIA National Championship at the age of 29.

How many people know that at the age of 33, Mike Riley become the 2nd youngest head coach in the 75 year history of the Canadian Football League (the legendary Bud Grant being the youngest), and in his very first season became the youngest coach to ever win the Grey Cup, only to turn around and do it again 2 years later at the age of 35.

How many people know that at the age of 38, USC hired Mike Riley to be QB/Assistant Head Coach and then immediately won 2 Pac10 titles, with QB Rob Johnson braking numerous NCAA QB records.

My favorite: How many people know that in 1997, Mike Riley inherited a Jerry Pettibone wishbone triple threat Oregon State football team (the undisputed 30yr doormat of college football, Avg 2 wins a season). In his first year he installed a pro-style offense. By year 2 he came within 1 point (twice) of breaking a streak of 27 consecutive losing seasons. By year 4 (having handed the team over to Dennis Erickson in Year 3), Oregon State won the PAC10 title, the Fiesta Bowl, and finished the season ranked 4th in the country. To this day, Erickson credits Mike Riley for laying the foundation for that miraculous season.

How many people know that upon his return from the NFL to Oregon State in 2003, with the worst talent (per recruiting services), facilities and resources in the PAC10, that over the next 7 seasons, the only 2 teams that had a better conference record were USC (Carroll) and Oregon (Bolletti). - the same record as Cal, and significantly better than Arizona, ASU, Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Washington State.

How many people know that over those 7 seasons only 3 PAC10 coaches retained their jobs: Pete Carrol, Mike Riley and Tedford, and that Oregon State went 5-1 in bowl games.

How many people know that the following are Oregon State’s football winning % before, during and after Mike Riley was head-coach:

- Before / Doormat of College Football: 19% winning percent (2 wins/year)
- During / 2003-09: 64% winning percent
- During / 2010-14: 47% winning percent (see below)
- After / Gary Anderson Era: 24% winning percent

How many people know that he has been named, NAIA assistant coach of the year, Pac10 assistant coach of the year, Pac10 Coach of the year, CFL Coach of the year (twice), and in 2014 his Power 5 head coaching peers voted him the most underrated coach in College Football?

So that leaves just 2 relatively short periods of his 40 year coaching career where Riley saw limited or no success:

Three unsuccessful years in the NFL (think Saban, Spurrier, Holtz, Petrino, Chip Kelly, etc.) and five very average years (2010-14) at Oregon State where he went 0-10 against Oregon and Stanford (think Phil Knight-Oregon/John Arrillaga-Stanford $150+ million arms race) but a respectable 29-23 against rest of PAC10 (again with the least amount of talent). This widening un-level playing field was ultimately a key factor in him leaving OSU and coming to Nebraska.

Except for the NFL, Mike Riley has had an immediate and positive impact that resulted in either championships or significantly higher performance at every step of his career (NAIA, CFL, USC, and Oregon State twice). Every place he went got significantly better, every place he left got significantly worse.

As an outsider, who admittedly is not quite as emotionally attached as you all, my only thought about the situation is pretty simple. Based on Riley’s past, I think the odds are significantly greater of winning a BIG10 Title sooner if you stick with Riley, rather than blowing it up and starting all over again. (lest we forget in year 2 he came within one play on the road of winning the BIG10 West with an” island of misfit toys” and a dumbed-down modified scheme).

Mike Riley has overachieved in almost every endeavor he has ever undertaken. If given the right amount of time, Riley will win at Nebraska and win consistently. If Riley can win 2 state championships (player), a NCAA football national championship (player), an NAIA championship (coach), two Canadian Football League Championships (coach), and two PAC10 championships (assistant head coach), and nearly win a PAC10 championship as a head coach with lesser talent (imagine Illinois), then he will win a BIG10 Championship with Nebraska’s resources.

There are many more Riley stories (his association w/ Tom Brady, Bear Bryant, Major Ogilvie, etc..) but let me leave you with one last thought.

How many people know that Mike Riley has coached in College football for 38 years, (held numerous positions, turned down numerous positions) and not once in those 38 years, not a single time, has he ever been fired. I guess there’s always a first time for everything though. Be careful what you wish for.

Go Big Red!
Thank you for taking your time to offer this perspective. Appreciate it.
 
A Little about Mike Riley from an Outsider:

I was born in California and raised throughout the West Coast, where I met my wife (a Nebraska grad), who eventually dragged me to the Midwest to raise a family.

I am familiar with Mike Riley for 3 reasons: 1) I’m a lifetime PAC10 fan, 2) my wife is an avid Husker fan, which makes me a fan, 3) a conversation I had with Mike Bolletti circa 2011 at a fund-raiser. (and a Mike Riley handshake in a hotel lobby in 2005)

Having lived in the PAC10 footprint most of my life, I knew of and always found Mike Riley intriguing, but my knowledge of Riley only really increased both after my conversation with Bolletti and again when he was named head coach of Nebraska

For those that don’t know Mike Bolletti, he is Oregon’s winningest Head coach of all-time, mentor to Chip Kelly and Chris Peterson, and coached directly against Mike Riley in 97/98 and again from 2003-2009. Upon meeting Bolletti, short on time, I awkwardly asked – “who is the greatest coach you ever coached against?”. While he did not answer my question directly, he did offer up the following 2 nuggets: 1) that he knew of nobody that could do more with less than Mike Riley, and 2) that he felt Riley would have been a national household name and won a national championship if he would have been willing to leave his home state of Oregon earlier in his career.

Why was Bolletti so easy with his praise of Riley that day? I think to understand, one has to dig a little deeper……

The common refrain I hear from Husker fans when I am out w/ my wife watching a Nebraska game goes something like this: “Riley is just a mediocre 500 coach who has never won a thing”. Does that represent the majority of what people think? Like a rushed national writer trying to hit a deadline, does the average Nebraska fan do a 10 second google search of his record at Oregon State, draw a conclusion, and then call it a day?

How many people know that at the age of 24, Riley became the defensive coordinator of Linden College and over the next 6 years coached them to a 52-7-1 record, 5 conferences titles and a NAIA National Championship at the age of 29.

How many people know that at the age of 33, Mike Riley become the 2nd youngest head coach in the 75 year history of the Canadian Football League (the legendary Bud Grant being the youngest), and in his very first season became the youngest coach to ever win the Grey Cup, only to turn around and do it again 2 years later at the age of 35.

How many people know that at the age of 38, USC hired Mike Riley to be QB/Assistant Head Coach and then immediately won 2 Pac10 titles, with QB Rob Johnson braking numerous NCAA QB records.

My favorite: How many people know that in 1997, Mike Riley inherited a Jerry Pettibone wishbone triple threat Oregon State football team (the undisputed 30yr doormat of college football, Avg 2 wins a season). In his first year he installed a pro-style offense. By year 2 he came within 1 point (twice) of breaking a streak of 27 consecutive losing seasons. By year 4 (having handed the team over to Dennis Erickson in Year 3), Oregon State won the PAC10 title, the Fiesta Bowl, and finished the season ranked 4th in the country. To this day, Erickson credits Mike Riley for laying the foundation for that miraculous season.

How many people know that upon his return from the NFL to Oregon State in 2003, with the worst talent (per recruiting services), facilities and resources in the PAC10, that over the next 7 seasons, the only 2 teams that had a better conference record were USC (Carroll) and Oregon (Bolletti). - the same record as Cal, and significantly better than Arizona, ASU, Stanford, UCLA, Washington and Washington State.

How many people know that over those 7 seasons only 3 PAC10 coaches retained their jobs: Pete Carrol, Mike Riley and Tedford, and that Oregon State went 5-1 in bowl games.

How many people know that the following are Oregon State’s football winning % before, during and after Mike Riley was head-coach:

- Before / Doormat of College Football: 19% winning percent (2 wins/year)
- During / 2003-09: 64% winning percent
- During / 2010-14: 47% winning percent (see below)
- After / Gary Anderson Era: 24% winning percent

How many people know that he has been named, NAIA assistant coach of the year, Pac10 assistant coach of the year, Pac10 Coach of the year, CFL Coach of the year (twice), and in 2014 his Power 5 head coaching peers voted him the most underrated coach in College Football?

So that leaves just 2 relatively short periods of his 40 year coaching career where Riley saw limited or no success:

Three unsuccessful years in the NFL (think Saban, Spurrier, Holtz, Petrino, Chip Kelly, etc.) and five very average years (2010-14) at Oregon State where he went 0-10 against Oregon and Stanford (think Phil Knight-Oregon/John Arrillaga-Stanford $150+ million arms race) but a respectable 29-23 against rest of PAC10 (again with the least amount of talent). This widening un-level playing field was ultimately a key factor in him leaving OSU and coming to Nebraska.

Except for the NFL, Mike Riley has had an immediate and positive impact that resulted in either championships or significantly higher performance at every step of his career (NAIA, CFL, USC, and Oregon State twice). Every place he went got significantly better, every place he left got significantly worse.

As an outsider, who admittedly is not quite as emotionally attached as you all, my only thought about the situation is pretty simple. Based on Riley’s past, I think the odds are significantly greater of winning a BIG10 Title sooner if you stick with Riley, rather than blowing it up and starting all over again. (lest we forget in year 2 he came within one play on the road of winning the BIG10 West with an” island of misfit toys” and a dumbed-down modified scheme).

Mike Riley has overachieved in almost every endeavor he has ever undertaken. If given the right amount of time, Riley will win at Nebraska and win consistently. If Riley can win 2 state championships (player), a NCAA football national championship (player), an NAIA championship (coach), two Canadian Football League Championships (coach), and two PAC10 championships (assistant head coach), and nearly win a PAC10 championship as a head coach with lesser talent (imagine Illinois), then he will win a BIG10 Championship with Nebraska’s resources.

There are many more Riley stories (his association w/ Tom Brady, Bear Bryant, Major Ogilvie, etc..) but let me leave you with one last thought.

How many people know that Mike Riley has coached in College football for 38 years, (held numerous positions, turned down numerous positions) and not once in those 38 years, not a single time, has he ever been fired. I guess there’s always a first time for everything though. Be careful what you wish for.

Go Big Red!

Who are the last guys tied to Riley???

Hank and Bounds?

Bounds and Avery?

Turner and Hooch?

Lol. GBR
 
Looks like you put some time and thought into the OP, so I'll try to respond in a rational manner.

All of us could argue about the exact number, I'm gonna use a number around 20. There's 20 or so college football programs that are gonna expect their coach to put together winning seasons. Not just one season or every other season, but consistent average or better results. These schools don't give a coach a "chance". They're not hired on a "chance". They're hired with an expectation that wins will be delivered with maybe a mulligan here or there. If you take the other 40 or so power 5 schools, they allow more leeway, but there is still an expectation of improvement and at least occasional bowl appearances for the most part. This isn't about national championships, conference championships, or even division winners, our team has looked straight-up bad. The defense swapped schemes, I expected growing pains. Our offensive performance is inexcusable.

I acknowledge a need for consistency in our football program's leadership. But that consistency does not come at just any old price or for free. It's paid for by delivering winning seasons. Hope gets you out of bed in the morning, results bring home the paycheck.

The Huskers may improve, decline, or stay on the current trajectory over the course of this year. Riley will get the credit or the blame based upon the performance of the team that he is ultimately responsible for. Who even knows if Riley is in a do-or-die situation this year. I can only speculate.

This post kicks a**.
 
Way to base his career on his last 15 games. You are amazing!
Maybe you missed the point. I'll provide some context. While people are debating the merits of various coaches we might like to hire. Nobody, absolutely nobody, would even suggest or bring up the idea of hiring somebody that has lost 13 of his last 15 conference games.

Nobody with any semblance of sanity would think, hey this guy is trending well. Let's hire the guy coming off a losing record with 2 conference wins in almost two full seasons. Yet, we actually hired that guy. I think it is more than fair to judge a guy with a mediocre career record, a 1-15 season on his resume, and an absolute free falling program on his last 15 games BEFORE WE HIRED HIM.
 
"Upon meeting Bottelli, short on time, I awkwardly asked – “who is the greatest coach you ever coached against?"

When you met Mike Bellotti did you call him Bottelli then ??
I could be wrong but if you read his entire post, I would guess that he has dyslexia. I have two very good friends with dyslexia and one of them makes those same type of transposed spelling errors ESPECIALLY with other people's names. While I understand you want throw shade on his credibility, it is an extremely informative and well thought out post. Much better than some of the angry rhetoric we see so often on here.
 
Yeah, that 10 second google search showed us he lost 13 of his last 15 PAC 12 games. Being the big Pac 12 fan that you are, I am sure that impressed you, too.

I have a friend that works in the NFL and knows Bill Callahan well. Says he's a great guy and a great coach. See a trend here?
Way to base his career on his last 15 games. You are amazing!
And its not even a correct stat. Guess he should use google for more than 10 seconds. For some reason all he wants to push is incorrect info with only using 38% of a season. Riley's Pac12 record was 6-12 in his final 2 seasons at OSU.
 
If Riley can win 2 state championships (player), a NCAA football national championship (player), an NAIA championship (coach), two Canadian Football League Championships (coach), and two PAC10 championships (assistant head coach), and nearly win a PAC10 championship as a head coach with lesser talent (imagine Illinois), then he will win a BIG10 Championship with Nebraska’s resources.

So the last time he won a championship as a head coach was 30 years ago?
 
Riley is 64 years old and in his last 6 seasons is 39-30 as a head coach.
I'm much more amazed at the people who think the guy has some kind of limitless potential at this point in his career then those that question it.

Bill Parcells always says "you are what your record IS"
 
By the way, ever since we picked up Riley, I've heard about his lack of resources at OSU. Why didn't he get those resources built up in his years there?

What kind of resources did Devaney have when he took over the sterling Nebraska program? Must have been something to behold.
 
And its not even a correct stat. Guess he should use google for more than 10 seconds. For some reason all he wants to push is incorrect info with only using 38% of a season. Riley's Pac12 record was 6-12 in his final 2 seasons at OSU.

When you have an agenda who needs facts? This "new" poster just doesn't like Riley and all it took was NU losing to NIU to bring out posters just like this one that didn't like the hire in the first place. They just pick out "facts" that support their confirmation bias. It's the same old tired arguments.
 
And its not even a correct stat. Guess he should use google for more than 10 seconds. For some reason all he wants to push is incorrect info with only using 38% of a season. Riley's Pac12 record was 6-12 in his final 2 seasons at OSU.
You're right, I'm sorry.

He lost 12 of his last 14 PAC 12 games. That would be 2-12 instead of 2-13.

I guess we can pretend that's acceptable. But I guess that changes everything. 2-13 would have been bad. 2-12, now I see why we hired him. He was really trending well.
 
When you have an agenda who needs facts? This "new" poster just doesn't like Riley and all it took was NU losing to NIU to bring out posters just like this one that didn't like the hire in the first place. They just pick out "facts" that support their confirmation bias. It's the same old tired arguments.
Now that I corrected the fact. Would you like to dispute it?

Would you recommend we hire a coach that is over 60 and has lost 12 of his last 14 conference games ? Sorry, I had one too many losses there.

But, honestly, do you think that fact is irrelevant?

If Riley is fired, would you advocate that we hire a coach that has lost at that rate? A coach that has gone 2-12 in his last 14 conference games?

My guess is no. Unless he is really, really nice. And won a championship in a seven team league in a country that only cares about hockey over 20 years ago.
 
Yeah, that 10 second google search showed us he lost 13 of his last 15 PAC 12 games. Being the big Pac 12 fan that you are, I am sure that impressed you, too.

I have a friend that works in the NFL and knows Bill Callahan well. Says he's a great guy and a great coach. See a trend here?
Clueless - you basically just proved the OPs point.
 
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