A new coaching adventure for Mike Riley: ‘I can’t wait to get started’
Updated 1/9/2022 3:00 AM
Mike Riley is preparing for another coaching adventure.
The long-time Oregon State football coach has been hired as head coach of the New Jersey Generals of the new United States Football League, which will begin play in the spring.
“When people ask about what I’m doing, I’ve never been comfortable telling them that I’m retired,” says Riley, 68, who has coached at nearly every college and pro level since beginning his career in 1975. “I’m excited to be coaching again, and I’m fired up to be part of this new league.”
Riley, Oregon State’s coach from 1997-98 and 2003-14, has been out of coaching since leaving his post as offensive coordinator of the Seattle Dragons of the XFL before the regular season began due to personal reasons in early 2020. Riley and his wife Dee have lived in Corvallis since then, relaxing and spending time with their grandchildren.
But Riley had a great time during his short tenure as head coach of the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football in 2019. The Commanders were 5-3 and tied for the division lead when league ownership pulled the plug for financial reasons before the end of the season.
The new USFL, fueled by Fox Broadcasting Company, will be a developmental league, much like the now-defunct AAF was and the XFL is. The rosters will be filled with players out of college with NFL aspirations, or players just seeking a chance to play more high-level football before they retire from the game. Riley had previous experience with such a league three decades ago when he served two years (1991 and ’92) as head coach of the San Antonio Riders of the World Football League.
“I had so much fun at that level,” says Riley, head coach of the San Diego Chargers from 1999-2001. “I really enjoy the players in those leagues. They’re hungry and appreciative of their opportunities. I’ve made some long-lasting relationships with them. Those guys have a deep appreciation for where they are and what they’re doing.”
Brian Woods will serve as the USFL’s president of football operations. Woods was the founder and CEO of “The Spring League,” another minor pro league that played games from 2017-21. “The Spring League” featured eight teams that divided their games between Indianapolis and Houston last season. Former Dallas Cowboy fullback Daryl “Moose” Johnston — who was Riley’s general manager with the Commanders — will be the USFL’s executive vice president of football operations.
There will be eight teams in the USFL split into two divisions, North and South. Though all the teams will reside and play their games in Birmingham, the names will represent franchises in the original USFL from 1983-85 (sorry folks, the 1985 Portland Breakers won’t be included). Teams in the new USFL include the Generals, Houston Gamblers, Tampa Bay Bandits, Philadelphia Stars, Birmingham Stallions, New Orleans Breakers, Michigan Panthers and Pittsburgh Maulers.
“Fox owns the rights to the historical USFL,” Riley says. “They decided to bring back the names and combine it with what Brian has gotten started with ‘The Spring League.’ ”
Each team plays a 10-game schedule, with teams playing divisional rivals twice and teams in the other division once. The season will run from April 16 until mid-June. Much of the funding will come from television rights. All games next season will air on network TV. Fox Sports will carry 22 of the 43 games, with 12 on Fox and 10 on FX1. NBC Sports will carry the other games.
“Brian has the power of Fox behind him,” Riley says. “That is pretty darn important to our future. This seems more transparent than some of the previous leagues, and appears to be a really good effort to have a solid spring league.”
Games will likely be held at Alabama-Birmingham’s new Protective Stadium and legendary Legion Field. Riley is familiar with the latter facility. The Commanders played a road game there in 2019, and Riley played several times there while at Alabama, including the annual Iron Bowl matchup with Auburn.
Four games matching all eight teams will be waged each weekend in Birmingham during the 2022 campaign.
“That saves a ton of money in transportation costs,” Riley says. “It’s a smart move. You play the games, save money but get your feet on the ground. Get the league started and later branch out into the cities.”
Dee Riley’s hometown is Birmingham, where she still has relatives and friends. Mike played his college ball at Alabama. The pair met during their college years in Tuscaloosa.
“This works out great for Dee and me personally, as far as reuniting with friends and family,” Mike says. “And it doesn’t disrupt our home life in Oregon for the majority of the year. We’ll be back for the summer. I want to be able to live in Corvallis, spend time with my grandkids and still be able to coach football at a level I’ve found to be really fun. For where I am in life right now with my desire to keep coaching, it’s a really good fit.”
Woods offered Riley a head-coaching job in “The Spring League” last year, “but I was not able to work everything out,” Riley says. He flew to Houston to watch “The Spring League” games for one weekend last season and liked what he saw. More than 100 players who played in “The Spring League” the past five years signed NFL contracts.
“It’s good quality football,” Riley says. “I was really impressed with the talent in the AAF, and the little bit of time I spent with the XFL, it was the same quality of player. We had two players with the Commanders who are still in the NFL and a dozen guys who signed NFL contracts.
“A lot of these guys have been in NFL camps and are looking to continue to play or to improve their opportunity (to make an NFL roster). It’s a wide range of backgrounds, from small schools to major colleges. They’re good players who have played at a high level.”
A draft, which the USFL is calling a “player selection meeting,” will happen on Feb. 22 and 23. Each team will carry a 38-man active roster and a seven-man practice squad.
“I don’t know what the salaries will be (in the USFL), but guys in the AAF were making $70,000 to $75,000 (for a full season),” Riley says. “XFL players were making pretty good money for the amount of time asked of them, too. These guys can work at another job in the offseason and continue to play football and feel good about it.”
On Thursday, the USFL announced four head coaches: Riley, Todd Haley (head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs for three years) with Tampa Bay; long-time college coach Kevin Sumlin with the Houston Gamblers, and Bart Andrus, long-time head coach in NFL Europe and the Canadian Football League, with the Philadelphia Stars. Two others who will be named at a later date: In addition, former Auburn head coach Gene Chizik will be general manager and head coach of the Birmingham Stallions. And the league is in negotiations with Jeff Fisher, an NFL head coach for 22 seasons.
Riley is the oldest of the league’s head coaches so far, but none of them are spring chickens. Fisher and Andrus are 63, Chizik is 60, Sumlin is 57 and Haley is 54.
USFL head coaches will work remotely until they gather in Birmingham on March 16. Players report on March 25, with April 16 set as opening day. Riley’s first order of business is to hire a staff of six assistant coaches and two quality control assistants. Two names to watch for: Steven Smith, former assistant line coach with the Kansas City Chiefs, and ex-OSU great James Rodgers, currently working as an offensive analyst at Wisconsin.
“I have a lot of names to go through,” Riley says. “You need coaches in this league who are interested in developing players and helping them get better. You need people who are pretty low maintenance, too. Something changes every day. You have to go with the flow a little bit and roll with the punches. But I can’t wait to get started.”
► ◄
My latest book is now for sale, Jerome Kersey: Overcoming The Odds. You can buy regular, autographed, and inscribed copies of the book in my new and improved online bookstore here.
Follow me on Twitter.
Like me on Facebook.
Be sure to sign up for my emails.
