Former Springfield Catholic star Tyson Riley primed for big senior season at Army
Structure is part and parcel to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point experience, but Tyson Riley didn't always embrace it.
Riley liked the idea of its rigor — cadet, student and NCAA Division I football player at one of the nation's most prestigious institutions — but its reality elicited some early frustrations.
The former Springfield Catholic star didn't have the same liberties as his free-wheeling peers at civilian universities. An 11:30 p.m. lights-out "Taps" horn followed by daily 6:30 a.m. formation made sure of it.
West Point's historic, castle-like campus in New York also has a way of limiting outside distractions.
"Was I upset I couldn't go out every night when I was younger? Sure," said Riley, now a senior running back for Army. "But as you get older, you learn to appreciate structure more."
He hopes to leverage it into something much bigger than himself.
A commissioned officer majoring in International Affairs, Riley is now positioned for a lengthy military career after he turns in his shoulder pads. He hopes to work with artillery.
The 6-foot-2, 255-pound ball carrier is a bit a weapon himself for the Black Knights, who open their season Sept. 2 at the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Riley was recently named to Phil Steele Magazine's All-Division I Independent Team after rushing for 441 yards and two touchdowns on 95 carries (4.6 yards per carry) last year for Army, which had a deep group of running backs that shared the load.
Similar to his hard-running style, Riley has trudged through several obstacles to be in this position, including: year-around military training, demanding academic hours, and simulated combat at nearby Camp Buckner with active soldiers. The list goes on.
Absorbing contact from linebackers is among the fun and easier parts of his day.
"I'm just cherishing every moment of it," Riley said of his final fall camp. "I wouldn't go and re-do anything."
Getting to West Point
Recruited from a Springfield Catholic program that operated out of the run-it-all-day triple option offense, Army was one of the few Division I programs in the country that ran a similar scheme.
Riley, a running quarterback at Catholic who amassed 3,000 rushing yards and 65 touchdowns, generated interest from several Division I FCS schools including Missouri State. The two bigger military schools, Army and Air Force, wanted to keep him in the backfield.
The son of former Central and Mount Vernon head coach and Missouri State assistant assistant Ozzie Riley, Tyson Riley said he chose Army because it had more majors and coaches were the most consistent throughout the recruiting process.
Well, that and one other thing.
"Coach (Jeff) Monken flew into Springfield on a private to jet to recruit me," Riley said. "It was pretty cool."
Major rivalry
Monken has turned the Black Knights into a winner since he was hired nine years ago, including five bowl appearance in the past seven seasons. Its previous bowl matchup, a 24-22 win over Mizzou in 2021 Army Forced Bowl.
Army ran the ball 55 times. Riley, the Missouri product, had six of those carries (36 yards).
Playing against Mizzou was special for Riley, but he said it paled in comparison to being part of one the fiercest rivalry games in sports: The Army-Navy game.
Army has won five of the past seven bouts, including last year's 20-17 win in New Jersey in front of a 69,000 fans.
"It's unrivaled. I don't know how to even put it into words because it's such a patriotic scene," Riley told the News-Leader. "Imagine a sold-out NFL stadium, thousands of cadets jumping up and down to (the song) 'Tsunami.' A flyover, and a 2 ½-hour slugfest against the team you hate."
Sticking together in the transfer era
Unlike many of their civilian Division I opponents, military academies such as Army, Navy, and Air Force can't legally have their athletes receive compensation from outside sponsors with Name, Image and Likeness (NIL). The government pays for their tuition and housing, and people in the military cannot use their standing for personal gain, according to federal laws.
The transfer portal still has impact on schools like Army, but to a lesser degree.
Players can opt to leave West Point after their freshman and sophomore seasons if they decide the military wasn't a good fit, but they're required to stay after if they reach their affirmation ceremony.
Riley is happy the portal never decimated his recruiting class.
"It builds a unique culture," Riley said. "There are 30 guys on this team from my class I have gone to school with since prep school. Who else can say that?"
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Former Catholic star primed for big season at Army, military career
