Bud Riley

Bud Riley
Sport(s) Football
Biographical details
Born (1925-11-25)November 25, 1925
Guin, Alabama
Died August 4, 2012(2012-08-04) (aged 86)
Penticton, British Columbia
Playing career
1948–1950 Idaho
Position(s) Back
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1952–1954 Wallace HS (ID) (ass't)
1955–1958 Wallace HS (ID)
1959–1961 Lewiston HS (ID)
1962–1964 Idaho (ass't)
1965–1972 Oregon State (ass't)
1973 Saskatchewan (CFL) (ass't)
1974–1977 Winnipeg (CFL)
1978 Toronto (CFL) (ass't)
1979 Oregon State (ass't)
1980 Saskatchewan (CFL) (ass't)
1981 Hamilton (CFL) (ass't)
1982–1983 Hamilton (CFL)
1984 Edmonton (CFL) (ass't)
1985 Calgary (CFL) (interim)

Edward J. "Bud" Riley, Jr.[1][2] (November 25, 1925 – August 4, 2012)[3] was an American college football coach who served as an assistant coach for the University of Idaho and Oregon State University. He also spent 14 seasons in the Canadian Football League, most notably as head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 1974 to 1977 and as a front office executive for the Calgary Stampeders from 1985 to 1987. His oldest son is current Nebraska head coach Mike Riley.[4][5]

Early years

Riley was born and raised in Guin, Alabama,[5][6] a community in the western part of the state.[7] His father died when he was 12,[8] and he quit high school at age 17 during World War II to join the U.S. Navy. Following the war, he returned to western Alabama and later enrolled at nearby East Mississippi Junior College in Scooba.[1][5]

College

His junior college football prowess in his early 20s led him to the attention of University of Idaho head coach Dixie Howell, a hall of fame player in the 1930s from Alabama, who was tipped off by a friend. Riley, at 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) and 155 lb (70 kg), informed Howell he was significantly larger than actually he was, which earned him an invitation to campus. Upon his arrival in Moscow in 1948, Howell wanted the undersized Riley run off; he had an assistant coach place Riley in a post-practice tackling drill with a much larger player, but Riley prevailed and stayed on the team.[9]

He played halfback for the Vandals in the Pacific Coast Conference from 1948 to 1950 under Howell.[10][11][12] In the home opener against Oregon in 1948, Riley scored the Vandals' only touchdown in a 15-8 loss in his first game at Neale Stadium. The 1948 Webfoots featured Norm Van Brocklin and John McKay,[13] and finished the regular season at 9-1 as Pacific Coast co-champions. Riley also played for the Vandals' baseball team.[14]

Early coaching years

High school

During his college summers and vacations, Riley had worked in the mines of the nearby Silver Valley at Wallace, and landed a job there with a mining company following graduation at age 26 in 1952.[1] The school superintendent was short-handed for instructors and asked him to fill in as a teacher, and he agreed to try it on an interim basis, with the mining company's permission. After growing up in a tough environment, Riley admired the hard-nosed grit of the mining community and found he liked teaching and coaching, and never returned to mining.[5][7] He started as an assistant coach in football and basketball and the head coach in baseball.[1][15][16][17] He was the head football coach at WHS for four seasons, starting in 1955, leading the Miners to a 23-14-1 record. He was also the head coach in basketball for two seasons, starting in the fall of 1957.[1][18] Riley met his wife, Mary Shumaker from nearby Mullan,[19][20] while working in Wallace; they were married in November 1951 and their first two sons were born there.[5] They left Wallace in 1959 for Lewiston, where he was the head football coach at Lewiston High School for three years.[21] His overall record with the LHS Bengals was 15-14-1, with a final season of 1-8 due to disciplinary actions.[1]

College

In May 1962, he moved up to the collegiate ranks and joined the coaching staff at his alma mater, the University of Idaho, under first-year head coach Dee Andros.[1][22] The Vandals posted their first winning record in a quarter century in 1963,[23] and in 1964 they beat neighbor WSU for the first time in a decade[24] and barely lost the week before at Rose Bowl-bound Oregon State 10-7 on a second half punt return.[25] When Tommy Prothro left OSU for UCLA, Andros moved over to Oregon State and the Pac-8 in February 1965,[23] Riley followed him to Corvallis as the secondary coach,[18][26] later defensive coordinator, from 1965 to 1972.[27][28] The best years were 1967 ("Giant Killers") and 1968, when the Beavers were nationally ranked.

CFL coach

After eight seasons in Corvallis, Riley moved to the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 1973, as defensive coordinator of the Saskatchewan Roughriders,[29][30] where he made significant improvements to a poorly rated defense.[31] Riley was hired as the head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1974; head coach Jim Spavital was fired after the Blue Bombers finished last in the Western Conference in 1973.[32][33] The Bombers didn't make it out of the first round in Riley's three postseason appearances, and he was let go after the 1977 CFL season.[34][35] His next coaching job was as an assistant with the Toronto Argonauts.[36] He replaced the fired Leo Cahill as head coach with seven games remaining,[37] finishing with a 1-6 record.

He returned to Oregon State in 1979 as an assistant to Craig Fertig,[38][39] but Fertig was fired by Andros midway through the season. Riley returned to the CFL in 1980, as the defensive backs coach for Saskatchewan.[7] In January 1981, he was hired by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as the defensive coordinator under head coach Frank Kush,[40] and was promoted to head coach for the 1982 season.[41] He lasted only halfway into his second season before being replaced by director of player personnel Al Bruno.[42]

Riley spent the 1984 season as defensive co-ordinator for the Edmonton Eskimos.[43] He moved to the front office in 1985, serving as the Calgary Stampeders player personnel director for three seasons.[44][45] He also served as interim coach for the remainder of the 1985 season after the firing of head coach Steve Buratto,[46] (whom Riley had recruited to Idaho as a player).

He was inducted into the Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.[47]

Personal

Bud and his wife Mary (Shumaker)[19][20] had three sons: Mike (b. 1953), Ed (b. 1958),[9] and Pete (b. 1964). Mike spent his junior high and high school years in Corvallis and was midway through college at Alabama when Bud left OSU and became a nomadic coach in the CFL in 1973. The younger sons, specifically Pete, attended many different schools, primarily in Canada, in the 1970s and early 1980s (both went to four high schools, in a different city each year). Ed spent his senior year at Gonzaga Prep in Spokane, and then went to Whitworth College.[9]

Bud's brother Hayden (1921–1995) was the head basketball coach at Alabama (1960–1968),[1] and later was the head baseball coach of the Tide in the 1970s.[48]

Following his retirement in 1987, Riley and his wife had lived in rural Kaleden, British Columbia, south of Penticton.[49]

After a lengthy illness, Riley died in a Penticton hospital at age 86 in 2012 on August 4.[3][49]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Bud Riley named Idaho assistant". Lewiston Morning Tribune (Idaho). May 27, 1962. p. 11.
  2. ↑ "Margaret Riley Watkins (1933-2010)". Dignity Memorial. (sister of Bud Riley). Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Buker, Paul (August 6, 2012). "Bud Riley, former Oregon State assistant and father of head coach Mike Riley, dies at 86". The Oregonian (Portland). Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  4. ↑ Peterson, Anne M. (February 20, 2003). "Riley to return as Oregon State coach". USA Today. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Tokito, Mike (December 2, 2009). "The lives of two Rileys define Oregon State football". The Oregonian (Portland). Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Idaho gridders receive awards". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Washington). November 24, 1949. p. 29.
  7. 1 2 3 "Bud Riley". Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan). August 15, 1980. p. 45.
  8. ↑ familytreemaker.genealogy.com - Riley family genalogy - accessed 30 March 2012
  9. 1 2 3 "Sports, nomadic family influence successful ex-Bullpup". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). November 17, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Grim Vandals face Cougar might". Lewiston Morning Tribune (Idaho). October 30, 1948. p. 8.
  11. ↑ Hayes, Peter (September 4, 1949). "Idaho May Be Tougher Than Opponents Think". Tri City Herald (Pasco, Washington). Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  12. ↑ "Howell Defying Tradition; To Assemble Small Squad". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Washington). August 30, 1950. p. 21.
  13. ↑ "Action in pictures of Idaho's valiant losing battle against Oregon". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). October 10, 1948. p. 3, sports.
  14. ↑ "Loggers battle Vandal squad in two games". Lewiston Morning Tribune (Idaho). April 8, 1949. p. 10.
  15. ↑ "ND Praises Wallace". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). November 21, 1957. p. 19.
  16. ↑ "6 Hoop Veterans On Wallace Team". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Washington). November 28, 1958. p. 14.
  17. ↑ "Fair Is Report". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Washington). September 4, 1958. p. 38.
  18. 1 2 "Riley accepts post as aide at Oregon State". Lewiston Morning Tribune (Idaho). February 3, 1965. p. 10.
  19. 1 2 "Last rites held for Shumaker". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). July 6, 1960. p. 6.
  20. 1 2 "Freta Olds buys hotel at Mullan". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Washington). April 24, 1974. p. a5.
  21. ↑ "Bengals Travel To Wallace". Lewiston Morning Tribune (Idaho). October 30, 1959. p. 12.
  22. ↑ "Idaho Gets Three More Prep Stars". Lewiston Morning Tribune (Idaho). August 22, 1962. p. 8.
  23. 1 2 "Dee Andros named Oregon State grid coach". Spokane Daily Chronicle (Washington). February 1, 1965. p. 15.
  24. ↑ "'Thunder Ray' leads Idaho's charge". Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington). October 25, 1964. p. 1-sports.
  25. ↑ "OSU tips Vandals on punt return tally". Lewiston Morning Tribune (Idaho). October 18, 1964. p. 11.
  26. ↑ Heady, Chris (April 27, 2015). "Mike Riley isn't following his father's footsteps anymore". Daily Nebraskan (Lincoln). Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  27. ↑ Peterson, Anne M. (25 September 2008). "The year of upsets for the Beavers". MailTribune. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011.
  28. ↑ Withers, Bud (September 7, 1972). "Beavers face opener very much in the dark". Eugene Register-Guard (Oregon). p. 4B.
  29. ↑ Hughes, Bob (January 6, 1973). "Tough...aggressive". Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan). p. 25.
  30. ↑ "Brooks Leaves La, Returns To Beavers". Eugene Register-Guard (Oregon). 21 January 1973. p. 4C.
  31. ↑ Hughes, Bob (November 22, 1973). "Eskimo tandem could be key". Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan). p. 22.
  32. ↑ Hughes, Bob (January 18, 1974). "Eddy Joins Roughrider Staff...". Leader-Post. p. 26.
  33. ↑ Watters, Dave (August 8, 1974). "Duke of Winnipeg does get around". Vancouver Sun (British Columbia). p. 23.
  34. ↑ "Decision of Blue Bombers: they no longer can stand to live the life of Riley". Calgary Herald (Alberta). November 17, 1977. p. A11.
  35. ↑ OregonLive.com - Oregon State Insider: Mike Riley, and his dad Bud Riley, both know the sting of being fired - 13 October 2011
  36. ↑ Tucker, Larry (June 6, 1978). "Jauch inherits star-studded Bomber team". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix (Saskatchewan). p. 27.
  37. ↑ "Cahill Again Walks Argos' Gangplank". Saskatoon Star-Phoenix (Saskatchewan). September 11, 1978. p. 13.
  38. ↑ "Ducks, Beavers hire grid coaches". The Bulletin (Bend, Oregon). Associated Press. January 6, 1979. p. 10.
  39. ↑ OSU Alumni Association - Up Close and Personal: Riley’s return a repeat of the past - accessed 12 March 2012
  40. ↑ Hughes, Bob (January 27, 1981). "Riley goes with his gut feeling". (Regina) Leader-Post. p. 17.
  41. ↑ "Can Edmonton win another Grey Cup title?". Tuscaloosa News (Alabama). Associated Press. July 6, 1982. p. 14.
  42. ↑ "Ti-cats Fire Riley". Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan). October 7, 1983. p. A1.
  43. ↑ "Eskimos High On Fisher". Leader-Post. May 28, 1984. p. B2. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  44. ↑ "Bud Should Feel At Home". Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan). February 1, 1985. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  45. ↑ "Miscellaneous". News and Courier (Charleston, SC). wire services. August 19, 1987. p. 3D.
  46. ↑ "Vespaziani After Coaching Job". Leader-Post (Regina, Saskatchewan). Canadian Press. February 6, 1986. p. B1.
  47. ↑ "Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame Member Details - Bud Riley". Idaho Athletic Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011.
  48. ↑ Reed, Delbert (February 21, 1996). "Riley overlooked by Alabama Sports Hall of Fame". Tuscaloosa News (Alabama). p. 2C.
  49. 1 2 Eggers, Kerry (November 23, 2012). "Mike Riley likes not being 'normal'". Portland Tribune (Oregon). Retrieved October 26, 2015.

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