Rob Shipley, left, was born in Sulphur Springs and has extensive ties to Hopkins County, as does
his brother-in-law, and fellow coach, Jeff Riordan, right.
New Wildcat Coaches Have
Strong Ties To Team and
Hopkins County
by: Bobby McDonald
Last week, I did a feature story on "homing pigeons," about the training and racing of these talented birds, who return to their nesting area, once they are released from distances of up to 500 miles. Well, it seems that at least two of the new Wildcat coaches, could possibly have some of the same characteristics. They are Rob Shipley and his brother-in-law, Jeff Riordan. Jeff serves as the Offensive Coordinator for the Sulphur Springs Wildcat Team and Rob is the Quarterback Coach.
Rob Shipley was born in Sulphur Springs, only two months after his father, Ben Shipley was hired as a coach in 1982, under head coach, Don Poe. The elder Shipley was serving as head freshman football coach, and took his wife, Sherry, to Hopkins County Memorial Hospital for Rob's birth, and as soon as he was born, boarded a bus to take his freshman team to a football game in Chapel Hill. And, incidentally, one of those freshman players was current Athletic Director, Greg Owens. "I guess football and coaching have always been a part of my life," expressed Rob Shipley. "Sounds like it's been a presence from the very beginning!"
When Rob was four years old, the family moved to Lindale, where Ben Shipley accepted the Head Coach and Athletic Director of Lindale High School. Rob was a standout football player for Lindale and was signed by Tarleton State University, where he served as quarterback for their college team. Rob has finished his studies and accepts the position at Sulphur Springs, as his first coaching job.
Ben and Sherry Shipley lived on South Moore Street, when they lived in Sulphur Springs. The Riordans and Rob Shipley live on Camp Street, "not too far from the original nest!"
Jeff Riordan was a football standout at Bridgeport High School, where he graduated in 1997. He attended Austin College and began his coaching career at Lakeview Centennial High School. While there, he met Mandy Shipley, another coach, and they were married in 2004. Jeff and Mandy have one son, Jonah, that is ten months old. Mandy was only six years old, when her family moved from Sulphur Springs to Lindale, but remembers her kindergarten year in SSISD and attending the football games at Gerald Prim Stadium.
The ties don't end there. Jeff Riordan can trace his "roots" to Cooper, Texas, where he lived as a small child, and his grandmother, Jessie Moore, is a resident of Sulphur Springs. Mrs. Moore's family are longtime residents of Hopkins County, with her two brothers, Harvey and Kenneth Maddox, having lived in Sulphur Springs, their entire lives.
Shipley will serve as the Quarterback Coach and Riordan will serve as the Offensive Coordinator for the Wildcats.
And, the Shipley connection to Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County, can be traced back for generations. Ben Shipley is the son of Dan and Wilma Maddox Shipley. Dan operated the White's Auto Store in Sulphur Springs in the 1960's and Wilma is a native of Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County. Wilma graduated from Sulphur Springs High School in 1950 and is the daughter of B.D. "Boy" Maddox, longtime Sulphur Springs Auto Dealer. She and her siblings, Randall and Bettie Ann, were reared in Sulphur Springs, where their father was owner of Maddox Motor Company, the Desoto-Plymouth dealership.
This vintage 1970 advertisement for Maddox Motors shows
Johnny Cox looking-over some of those Plymouth Furies that were so popular.
The Maddox family "hailed" from the Pine Forest Community and B.D. Maddox moved to Sulphur Springs in 1926, working for both Ashcroft Ford and Merrell Chevrolet, before opening a service station on Jefferson Street in 1940. Maddox purchased the Desoto-Plymouth Dealership in 1944 and operated it on Jefferson Street, until his move to the corner of Broadway and Lee Street in the 1960's. Many of you will remember his strategic salesmanship abilities, as he displayed those classic Roadrunners and Dusters near Lee Street, where everyone passed on their way to Sulphur Springs High School (now the Middle School). Many Sulphur Springs youth passed those cars with "stars in their eyes" and dreams of owning those automobiles.
Both Rob and Jeff express their enthusiasm for coming to Sulphur Springs and reacquainting themselves with the people who knew their family members. Both express the desire to work with Athletic Director Greg Owens, who spent his formative years as a coach, with their father and father-in-law, Ben Shipley, in Lindale. "It was a great opportunity to come to Hopkins County, learn all about our family, and hopefully make a difference in the lives of the youth of this community," expressed the two coaches. "We're excited about the Wildcats and look forward to meeting all of the players, parents, and community, as the new season gets started!"
Welcome "Back" to
Sulphur Springs,
Rob & Jeff & Mandy!!
______
