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Texas High School Coaches Welcome Oklahoma Coach for First Time in 52 Years

Lincoln Riley's presentation to the THSCA focused on his offensive philosophy.

Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley spoke to the Texas High School Coaches Association convention on Tuesday.

That’s apparently an extremely rare event.

According to Sam Khan of The Athletic, it’s the first time since 1969 that the sitting OU coach has spoken to the THSCA. Chuck Fairbanks was the Sooners' coach then; Barry Switzer was still offensive coordinator.

Khan said the moderator who introduced Riley revealed the rarity of the Sooners’ head man speaking to high school coaches south of the Red River, and told SI Sooners that Riley himself mentioned it was the “first time in 52 years that the Oklahoma coach has been able to speak here at the THSCA (convention).”

Riley’s session, of course, centered on offense.

Riley’s OU offenses have ranked first, first, third and 11th in the nation in total yards during his four years as OU’s head coach, and third, first, sixth and sixth in scoring.

Riley’s presentation offered bullet-points on his offensive philosophy:

  • Attacking mentality >>> Scheme
  • Balance is crucial
  • Find creative ways to run our best schemes
  • Keep the defense honest
  • Exploit matchups
  • Always have answers
  • Trust our system

Thousands of high school football coaches attend the convention each year to hear presentations from their peers as well as from Division I head coaches, including seven-time national champion Nick Saban of Alabama.

A panel of 12 FBS head coaches took questions at this year’s event.