Ruffin McNeill and Lincoln Riley rewrote the old boys network
By TOM SHANAHAN The decade-long coaching bond linking Ruffin McNeill and Lincoln Riley is — on its surface — a typical old-boy network story. McNeill twice appointed Riley as his offensive coordinator. When Riley was named a head coach, he hired McNeill. And you say, So what? Head coaches routinely hire a familiar colleague. The coaching network has always worked that way – both in college and the NFL. Two coaches mesh closely and continue to turn to…