Longtime Gander coach heads to the Hill

Hours after he officially cut ties with Robert E. Lee High School, longtime assistant football coach Clint Riley was asked Thursday if he regretted not following former Gander head coach Dick Olin to Lewisville High School last December.

Riley, a fixture at Lee since joining Olin's first coaching staff in 1991, said no. But there was at least one what-if to consider.

"It was five or six years ago when I turned down the Refugio (head coaching) job, which was a great 2A program," he said.

"I figured Dick would be retiring soon and I'd have a chance to be Lee's head coach. I took a career chance and it didn't work out."

Riley, a native of Blanco in West Texas, had spent the past several years as Olin's assistant head coach and was named interim head coach when Olin departed.

He applied to be named Olin's successor and was a finalist for the job. But it ultimately went to Marvin Sedberry, Jr.

Thursday, Riley signed a contract to teach health and coach football at Barbers Hill High School.

He starts work there Monday.

"It's a great move," he said. "It's good for me and my family. We don't have to move. I'm going to a winning program and I've got a chance to work at a school that cares deeply about winning in all sports."

Don Price, the Barbers Hill athletic director and head coach, said he intends to have Riley coach his offensive linemen.

Riley, 45, was an offensive lineman when he played in college at Texas-El Paso. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UTEP, then did a tour as graduate assistant at the University of Missouri before returning to Texas. He coached one year at Texas City before moving to Lee, where he spent most of his years coaching the offensive line.

"I've known Clint for the past four or five years," Price said. "I got to know him when Dick (Olin) was president of the Greater Houston Area Football Coaches Association and I was a board member.

"He comes highly recommended from all the people in Baytown. I'm looking forward to working with him. He's been a pretty successful coach and teacher over in that district."

Riley's hiring at Barbers Hill has been in the works for a month or so but it didn't become official until the school district there officially hired him at Monday night's monthly board meeting.

On Price's coaching staff, Riley takes the place of Raul Yzquierdo, one of two coaches who resigned earlier this year to take jobs with ExxonMobil.

Leaving Lee, Riley admitted, "is going to be difficult.

"I've been there for 17 years, longer than I've been anywhere. It was a big part of my life – not quite half of it, but close. It'll be different for me.

"I signed my contract today and I haven't had to sign a contract in 17 years. Some coaches change schools every two or three years. I haven't done that, so it's all new to me."

Starting his new job with a month left in the current school year will give Riley a head start, he said.

"I get to meet the kids and the faculty, so when we start football next year, I won't be a new person to them," he said.

But he couldn't start his new job without one last look at the old one.

"There have been a lot of great things happen at Lee," Riley said. "I worked with some great people, guys like Marvin Guy, Gary Guy, Gary Herrington, Bruce Davis and Dick Olin.

"I remember when we came there people said we couldn't beat West Brook, that Lee was not going to be able to win again. So winning six district championships was big. Beating West Brook was big. Our battles with North Shore. I don't think there's a lot of people who beat them three times in seven tries.

"The Lee-Sterling rivalry was fun. I think it's taken too serious by parents, but the kids and coaching staffs had fun with it. We enjoyed that.

"It's too bad it has to end. But everything has to come to an end sometime."