After two stints as the Oregon State head football coach, Mike Riley is officially returning to Corvallis.
New Beavers head coach Jonathan Smith, just recently hired away from Washington, announced his coaching staff on Twitter Thursday afternoon. And in an unassuming manner, said announcement included the confirmation that Riley will return to Oregon State as assistant head coach.
#BeaverNation, help me welcome these great coaches to our @BeaverFootball team! I'm excited to surround our players with outstanding men! #GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/nxha40Ajhk
— Jonathan Smith (@Coach_Smith) December 7, 2017
Riley, 64, first coached Oregon State in 1997 and 1998 before heading to the then San Diego Chargers as head coach for three seasons.
He then remained in the NFL as the New Orleans Saints’ associate head coach in 2002 before making a return trip to Oregon State from 2003-2014. After leaving Oregon State, Riley was then called on to be the Nebraska head coach in 2014, and was fired after this this past regular season.
In his 14 seasons as Oregon State’s head coach, Riley led the program to a 93-80 record and eight bowl appearances. It’s nice to see him back in Oregon.