KFDM COOP Posted November 6, 2008 Report Posted November 6, 2008 Family Ties By Dave Rogers Published November 6, 2008 Dick Olin likes to joke that he has a couple of kids he doesn’t claim as dependents on his income tax. Those would be the kids of longtime assistant coach Clint Riley and his wife Lisa, their son Austin and daughter Ashley. “One day, Clint doesn’t have any money for lunch, so guess who gives his kids money?†Olin said. “Now Ashley and Austin come to me for money all the time.†Good story, though technically Lee’s 17th-year head coach perhaps better qualifies as Austin and Ashley’s grandpa. After all, at least in a professional sense, Olin practically raised their dad, Clint, in the Lee fieldhouse. The elder Riley, who came to Lee in 1992 as a member of Olin’s first coaching staff and now serves as the Ganders’ offensive coordinator, was a 180-pound running back at tiny Blanco High School who grew into a 280-pound offensive lineman for UTEP. “Austin has started for us for three years at right tackle,†Olin says of the 6-2, 280-pound senior. “His dad claims, of course, that he was a better athlete (than Austin). But his dad’s from Blanco. Who checks? “And he (Clint Riley) graduated fifth or sixth in his class at Blanco. But he wasn’t in the top 10 percent of his class; the school’s so small.†Growing up around the Gander fieldhouse, Austin Riley has heard all of Olin’s jokes countless times. He’s taken advantage to get a head start on many of his peers knowledge-wise, and taken full advantage to prepare physically for varsity football. “His son is a much better athlete,†Olin lauds Austin. And how was it growing up with a dad who’s a coach? “Good,†Austin said. “There was nothing bad. He doesn’t treat me any different†than other players. “The head coach does, but that’s about it.†Clint Riley acknowledges the pitfalls of being his son’s coach. “You try not to have other people look at it like you’re playing favorites,†he said. “I treat him like he’s any other kid, but because he was playing as a sophomore, he heard some that he was only playing because he was my son. “I tried to distance myself, but the truth about it was, he was one of the best five kids.†Clint Riley acknowledges a current shortage of players that has forced many of the Ganders to play both offense and defense wasn’t a sudden result of the Baytown school district expanding from two high schools to three, but something the Lee coaches had been dealing with for several years. Austin Riley might not be a three-year starter today if the Ganders had numbers like their District 21-5A rival North Shore. “Austin was semi-forced into it as a sophomore, because of his size and stuff,†the player’s dad said. “He made sophomore mistakes, battled through that, and ended up being a good player for us.†Austin and his father have shared highs and lows with the Gander program. In 2006, Lee finished in a four-way tie for the 21-5A title, battled North Shore tooth and nail in a playoff game and lost on a missed overtime extra-point kick. A year ago, the Ganders had to win their final game just to make the playoffs, then were bounced, rather rudely, from the postseason by Pasadena Memorial. Again this year, Lee is going down to the wire fighting for a playoff berth. The Ganders travel to Port Arthur Friday night with the winner of the game against Memorial getting 21-5A’s final postseason bid. If the Ganders win Friday, there’s a good chance they’ll start the playoffs against La Porte, a team they beat 17-14 in their season opener. “It has been a weird season,†Austin said. “The hurricane threw everything off. I’ve been in the playoffs since my sophomore year. “Since it’s my senior year, I want to go all out. I want to get into playoffs and hopefully get to the second round and see what happens there.â€
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