Nebraska hires Mike Riley as head coach

[Prime Time]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/12/04/nebraska-hires-mike-riley-as-head-coach/

Nebraska hires Mike Riley as head coach
Posted by Mike Wilkening on December 4, 2014

Getty Images

Nebraska has hired Oregon State’s Mike Riley as head coach, the school’s athletic department announced via its verified Twitter account on Thursday.

The 61-year-old Riley was 85-66 (.563) in his second stint as Oregon State’s head coach, which began in 2003 and ran 12 seasons. Previously, he was the school’s head coach from 1997 through 1998, with the Beavers posting an 8-14 mark.

Riley then made the leap to the NFL, taking the Chargers’ head coaching job in 1999. But San Diego struggled in his three-season tenure, winning 14 games and losing 34. His last year with the Chargers was the first for Drew Brees and LaDainian Tomlinson.

Riley replaces Bo Pelini, who won at a 71 percent rate in six seasons with Nebraska before being fired on Sunday. However, the Huskers’ struggles in big games helped pave the way for his departure.

Now, Riley takes his shot at one of college football’s traditional marquee jobs, a position where expectations are very high — and unmistakably so.

 

[Rams and Gators]

Strange appointment, not done much at Oregon State, outside of coaching the best punter in the NFL.

 

[Athos]

Interesting choice after canning BoBo crazy fuck.

 

[jrry32]

Strange appointment, not done much at Oregon State, outside of coaching the best punter in the NFL.

He's done a good job there...about as well as you'd expect. But I'm still surprised at this because of his age and because he isn't really a marquee guy.

 

[RamFan503]

This hire may be most surprising to those of us near OSU. Riley had some pretty good players over the years and maybe did more than should have been expected while battling for prospects with the Phil Knight sponsored Ducks but his teams had a tendency to start very slow and lose to teams that shouldn't have even been in the game.

By all accounts a very nice guy - hope he does well in the Husker state.

Now who wants to come coach our Beavers?

 

[RamFan503]

BTW - gotta love a school that publishes a calendar called Beautiful Beavers.

 

[Athos]

Oregon State doing the most important thing right.

Churning out beautiful women.

 

[den-the-coach]

 

[Ramhusker]

Curious hire to me. I'd have thought they would give Scott Frost a shot but I guess the lack of head coaching experience was more than they wanted to deal with at this point?????? Curious.

 

[Thordaddy]

This hire may be most surprising to those of us near OSU. Riley had some pretty good players over the years and maybe did more than should have been expected while battling for prospects with the Phil Knight sponsored Ducks but his teams had a tendency to start very slow and lose to teams that shouldn't have even been in the game.

By all accounts a very nice guy - hope he does well in the Husker state.

Now who wants to come coach our Beavers?

Somethings happening to my special purpose

 

[Dodgersrf]

This hire may be most surprising to those of us near OSU. Riley had some pretty good players over the years and maybe did more than should have been expected while battling for prospects with the Phil Knight sponsored Ducks but his teams had a tendency to start very slow and lose to teams that shouldn't have even been in the game.

By all accounts a very nice guy - hope he does well in the Husker state.

Now who wants to come coach our Beavers?

Damn