All Sooners

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.
John E. Hoover|
Texas High School Coaches Welcome Oklahoma Coach for First Time in 52 Years
Texas High School Coaches Welcome Oklahoma Coach for First Time in 52 Years

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.

Published
John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

Share on XFollow johnehoover
Home/Football