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Richard Alan Rodriguez (; born May 24, 1963), also known as Rich Rod, is an
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at
Jacksonville State University Jacksonville State University (JSU) is a public university in Jacksonville, Alabama. Founded in 1883, Jacksonville State offers programs of study in six academic schools leading to bachelor's, master's, education specialist, and doctorate degrees ...
. Rodriguez previously was the head football coach at Salem University (1988), Glenville State College (1990–1996),
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
(2001–2007), the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
(2008–2010), and the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...
(2012–2017). His career
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...
coaching record stands at 172–121–2. In 2011, Rodriguez worked as an analyst for
CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...
.


Playing career

A native of Grant Town, West Virginia, Rodriguez graduated from North Marion High School in 1981 where he played four sports and was an all-state
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
and
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. After high school, Rodriguez attended
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
. Playing as a
defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
, he recorded 54 career tackles over three seasons.


Coaching career


West Virginia and Salem

During the 1985 season, Rodriguez was a student assistant under head coach Don Nehlen and graduated with a Physical Education degree. In 1986, he was hired by Salem College (now
Salem International University Salem University is a private for-profit university in Salem, West Virginia. It has about 250 students on campus and about 600 online students that are enrolled in undergraduate as well as graduate programs. The university was founded by the S ...
) where he was
special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...
coordinator and secondary coach. In 1987, he became Salem’s
defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...
and in 1988 took over as
head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in asso ...
. At 25 years old, he was the youngest college head coach in the country. He was 2–8 in his first season as head coach, after which the college announced it was dropping its football program. In 1989, he returned to West Virginia University as a volunteer assistant.


Glenville State, Tulane, and Clemson

After Rodriguez's return to WVU as a volunteer coach with the outside linebackers for the 1989 football season, he left again to take over as head coach at Glenville State College. During his stay from 1990 to 1996, the team earned three consecutive West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) championships and competed in the 1993 NAIA national championship. His first season, 1990, he led the team to a 1–7 record. In 1991, Glenville improved to 4–5–1, then 6–4 season; in 1993, Rodriguez led Glenville to a 10–3 record and the WVIAC Championship and NAIA runner-up. The next two years, 1994 and 1995, Glenville finished as WVIAC Co-Champions. In Rodriguez's final season at Glenville, 1996, he led them to a Co-Championship once again. While at Glenville, Rodriguez compiled a record of 43–28–2 and was named WVIAC Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1994, NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1993, and West Virginia State College Coach of the Year in 1993 by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. Glenville State's four championships under Rodriguez were their first since 1959 while his players' set five national career records for Division II. Rodriguez left Glenville State at the end of the 1996 season to be assistant coach,
offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach r ...
, and
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...
coach for
Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...
from 1997 to 1998, under head coach Tommy Bowden. Rodriguez knew Bowden's father,
Bobby Bowden Robert Cleckler Bowden (; November 8, 1929 – August 8, 2021) was an American college football coach. Bowden coached the Florida State Seminoles of Florida State University (FSU) from 1976 to 2009 and is considered one of the greatest college ...
, because he had worked at his camps during summers. In Rodriguez's first year as offensive coordinator his innovative offense succeeded as Tulane went 7–4 and had their best season since 1980. Rodriguez was part of Tulane's success, including their 12–0 season in Rodriguez's last season at Tulane, mainly for his spread offense with quarterback Shaun King. When Bowden was hired as the head coach at
Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...
, he kept Rodriguez on his staff. Rodriguez was the offensive coordinator and associate head coach until the end of the 2000 season. Rodriguez was considered to be the frontrunner for the Tulane coaching job following Bowden's departure and was led to believe that he was going to be the next coach for Tulane. However,
Chris Scelfo Christopher Joseph Scelfo (born September 30, 1963) is an American football coach. He was most recently the offensive line coach for the DC Defenders of the XFL. He was the offensive line coach and run-game coordinator for the Arizona Hotshots ...
was hired instead. In 1999, Rodriguez interviewed for the head coaching job at
Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...
but lost to Mike Leach.


West Virginia

On November 26, 2000, WVU's athletic department announced that Rodriguez would again return to West Virginia, this time as head coach to replace the retiring Don Nehlen. Rodriguez's first season at West Virginia, 2001, was a disappointing 3–8. However, they improved greatly the next year, as they went 9–4 while finishing as a runner-up in the
Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...
; this also included back-to-back road wins against ranked
Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
and
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, and a
Continental Tire Bowl The Duke’s Mayo Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, since 2002. The game currently features a matchup between a team from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) ...
berth, where they lost to ACC runner-up in
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
. The Mountaineers finished second in the nation rushing with 283 yards per game and fourth in turnover margin. In 2003, the Mountaineers started the season 1–4, and after losing to #2
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
22–20, the Mountaineers posted a 6–1 Big East record and tied for the Big East championship with Miami, earning a
Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...
berth. That season, the Mountaineers replaced 22 seniors, eleven of which were starters. In 2004, the Mountaineers posted an 8–4 record with a talented team of seniors and juniors, but were ranked as high as sixth during the regular season. Following the 2002 season, Rodriguez was awarded the Big East Coach of the Year by
Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
and state college coach of the year for all sports by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. He also received the 2003 Frank Loria Award from the West Virginia chapter of the
National Football Foundation The National Football Foundation (NFF) is a non-profit organization to promote and develop amateur American football on all levels throughout the United States and "developing the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the dr ...
, and also earned Big East Coach of the Year that season. In 2005, he was offered to join the AFCA Board of Directors, and that same season was again given Big East Coach of the Year honors. In 2005, Rodriguez and the Mountaineers won the Big East title with freshman tandem Steve Slaton and
Patrick White Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 – 30 September 1990) was a British-born Australian writer who published 12 novels, three short-story collections, and eight plays, from 1935 to 1987. White's fiction employs humour, florid prose, ...
, thus claiming the conference's automatic berth in the
Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of American college football, includin ...
(BCS), where they defeated the
Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The female athletic teams are sometimes referred to as Lady Bulldogs. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference ( ...
in the Nokia Sugar Bowl and a final
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
ranking of fifth, tying the highest in school history (other in 1988). Repeating their 2005 success, West Virginia posted another 11-win season, the first consecutive 10-win seasons in school history. The Mountaineers defeated
Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
, 38–35, in the
Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...
and finished 10th in the final polls. On December 7, 2006, Rodriguez received an offer to be the next
Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a me ...
head coach. Despite reports that he had agreed in principle to coach at Alabama, which Rodriguez described as totally incorrect, on December 8, 2006, Rodriguez announced he would remain as head coach at West Virginia. The Mountaineers started the 2007 season ranked #3 in the
AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and br ...
and #6 in the
Coaches' Poll The Coaches Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football, Division I college basketball, and Division I college baseball teams. The football version of the poll has been known officiall ...
. They were #5 in the nation, before losing to #18
South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of ...
for the second consecutive time. South Florida eventually moved to #2, before dropping out of the Top 25 after losses (though USF would end the regular season ranked at #21). West Virginia dropped to #12 and #13 in the AP and Coaches' poll, respectively, before rebounding with wins against
Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy * Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' * Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York ** North Syracuse, New York * Syracuse, Indiana *Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, M ...
, Mississippi State, #25
Rutgers Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and w ...
,
Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...
, and #21
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...
. The Mountaineers eventually defeated #20
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...
to clinch the Big East Championship and move to #2 in the BCS standings and #1 in the
Coaches' poll The Coaches Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football, Division I college basketball, and Division I college baseball teams. The football version of the poll has been known officiall ...
, both the highest position ever for a Mountaineer football team. WVU's regular season ended at home with a loss in the
Backyard Brawl The Backyard Brawl is an American college football rivalry between the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and the West Virginia University Mountaineers. The term "Backyard Brawl" has also been used to refer to college basketball games played a ...
against Pittsburgh, 13-9. After the departure of Rodriguez, the Mountaineers went on to defeat University of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl under interim head coach Bill Stewart.


Departure from West Virginia

On December 16, 2007, Rodriguez informed players at West Virginia that he was leaving to succeed Lloyd Carr as the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
head football coach. Rodriguez's loss earlier that night to the unranked Pittsburgh Panthers eliminated WVU from national championship contention. Rodriguez's original resignation letter listed January 3, 2008 as his resignation date, but he subsequently made it clear that he would not be coaching WVU in its January 2 appearance in the
2008 Fiesta Bowl The 2008 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl was a college football bowl game. It was part of the 2007–2008 Bowl Championship Series (BCS) of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Played annually since 1971, first at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus o ...
versus
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...
. On December 18, 2007, Rodriguez informed the university that his resignation would instead be effective at midnight that night and was replaced by his former assistant coach Bill Stewart, who was selected as head coach after the Mountaineers won the Fiesta Bowl. The announcement of his departure came just four months after Rodriguez last renegotiated his contract with West Virginia and was made despite his stated long-term commitment to the Mountaineers. The contract included a $4 million buyout if he left WVU within one year of the August 2007 signing date. It has since been speculated that Rodriguez's departure was triggered by conflicts with the new president of WVU, Michael Garrison. Some insight into the discontent between Rodriguez and WVU is evidenced in a compendium of emails that were released to the
Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...
on January 23, 2008. An Associated Press story indicated that Rodriguez's agent Mike Brown was threatening to take his client elsewhere early in the 2007 season. On December 27, 2007, West Virginia University filed a motion for
declaratory judgment A declaratory judgment, also called a declaration, is the legal determination of a court that resolves legal uncertainty for the litigants. It is a form of legally binding preventive by which a party involved in an actual or possible legal ma ...
in Monongalia County Circuit Court, asking the court to find that Rodriguez's contract with the University was valid, that WVU had not breached that contract, and that Rodriguez had breached it. Subsequently, on January 18, 2008, WVU added a count of
breach of contract Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other part ...
after Rodriguez allegedly failed to pay the first installment of the $4 million
liquidated damages Liquidated damages, also referred to as liquidated and ascertained damages (LADs), are damages whose amount the parties designate during the formation of a contract for the injured party to collect as compensation upon a specific breach (e.g., late ...
clause (often referred to as a "buyout clause" by the media) when due. On July 9, 2008 Rodriguez and WVU agreed to settle the lawsuit. The terms of the settlement stated that the University of Michigan would pay $2.5 million of the settlement. Rodriguez was required to pay WVU the remaining $1.5 million in three installments of $500,000 each, spread over three years starting in January 2010. An opinion poll in September 2013 by Public Policy Polling found that 47% of West Virginia voters still had an unfavorable opinion of him, with only 11% seeing him favorably.


Michigan

Rodriguez was introduced by
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
as its new coach at a news conference held on December 17, 2007 at the Junge Family Champions Center on the University of Michigan campus. After arriving at Michigan, Rodriguez installed a new staff. He brought several members of his West Virginia staff with him, including Tony Gibson and offensive coordinator Calvin Magee. Fred Jackson, the running backs coach, was the only coaching holdover from Lloyd Carr's staff. Rodriguez also changed the strength and conditioning facilities, completed a top ten incoming recruiting class in 2008 (which was recruited mainly by Carr and his staff), and installed his own recruiting to serve his
spread offense :''"Spread offense" may also refer to the four corners offense in basketball.'' The spread offense is an offensive scheme in gridiron football that typically places the quarterback in the shotgun formation, and "spreads" the defense horizonta ...
. Equipment manager Jon Falk also stayed with the Michigan football program; he had been with Michigan since the days of
Bo Schembechler Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler Jr. ( ; April 1, 1929 – November 17, 2006) was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University o ...
. Rodriguez began his Michigan coaching career on August 30, 2008 with a 25–23 loss to
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
. His 2008 team finished with a record of 3–9, the worst season in school history. Michigan's losing record meant that the team did not play in a post-season
bowl game In North America, a bowl game is one of a number of post-season college football games that are primarily played by teams belonging to the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). For most of its history, the Division I Bowl Subdivis ...
for the first time in 33 years, the longest such streak in college football up to that point. One of the few high points of the season came on September 27 when Michigan made the second-largest comeback in program history to defeat #9
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
27–25 after trailing 19–0 late in the third quarter. That contest was also the 500th game played in
Michigan Stadium Michigan Stadium, nicknamed "The Big House," is the football stadium for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the largest stadium in the United States and the Western Hemisphere, the third largest stadium in the world, and the ...
.


Players leaving and criticism

Several Michigan players transferred and subsequently criticized Rodriguez.
Justin Boren Justin Matthew Boren (born April 28, 1988) is a former American football guard. Though a guard in the NFL, Boren played both guard and center during his high school and college football career. In high school, he was widely regarded as one of ...
transferred from the program to rival Ohio State citing offensive behavior and a "lack of family values" from the coaching staff. Boren became first team all Big Ten at Ohio State University in the 2009 season. Others have supported the assertion about a lack of family values, including ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primar ...
'' writer Michael Rosenberg, who stated "Rodriguez's staff uses some of the foulest, most degrading language imaginable. I know coaches curse, and I'm no prude, but this goes way beyond a few dirty words. This is a big part of why offensive lineman Justin Boren left the team. He felt his dignity was at stake." Former Michigan player Kurt Wermers claimed to not get along with coaches after transferring following the 2008 season to
Ball State University Ball State University (Ball State, State or BSU) is a public university, public research university in Muncie, Indiana. It has two satellite facilities in Fishers, Indiana, Fishers and Indianapolis. On July 25, 1917, the Ball brothers, indust ...
, but he was, in fact, academically ineligible at the time of his transfer, calling into question the credibility of his claim.


NCAA rule violations

Prior to the 2009 season several anonymous players told journalists (including Rosenberg) at the ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primar ...
'' that Rodriguez and his coaching staff had habitually violated NCAA rules. The alleged offenses included attending unofficial scrimmages and requiring players to work out more hours than NCAA rules permit for the off-season. Rodriguez denied the allegations. On October 27, 2009, the NCAA sent a Notice of Inquiry to the University of Michigan stating the NCAA found reasonably reliable information indicating NCAA rule violations. Following the Notice, the investigation into potential major violations continued. On November 16, 2009, the University of Michigan Auditors looking into the NCAA violations discovered that University of Michigan Athletic Department staff failed to file monthly logs that track how much players work out and practice. Then on February 22, 2010, the NCAA formally accused Michigan of five "major rules violations" after finding that the team and its coaching staff failed to comply with practice time rules under coach Rich Rodriguez, and used several graduate assistants in coaching position in contravention of NCAA regulations on the limits of the number of coaches. This marked the first time that major violations have been alleged against the Michigan football program. All of the violations dated from January 2008 forward, which coincided with Rodriguez's arrival at Michigan. The University of Michigan has acknowledged that it committed four major violations in its football program. This resulted in U-M self-imposing sanctions which including cutting practice time and either disciplining or terminating staff, as well as two years probation. The final NCAA report downgraded the list of violations originally investigated, agreed with Michigan's self-imposed sanctions, but added an extra year of probation.


Eventual departure

Despite the setbacks of his inaugural season, Rodriguez compiled a recruiting class for the 2009 season which was ranked eighth nationally by Rivals.com. Tom Dienhart, writing for ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence tw ...
'', named Rodriguez the second best football coach in the
Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
behind only
Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...
's
Kirk Ferentz Kirk James Ferentz (born August 1, 1955) is an American football coach. He is the current head football coach at the University of Iowa, a position he has held since the 1999 season. From 1990 to 1992, Ferentz was the head football coach at the ...
and ahead of more tenured coaches such as Penn State's
Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2 ...
and
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
's
Jim Tressel James Patrick Tressel (born December 5, 1952) is an American college football coach and university administrator who is currently the president of Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio. Before becoming an administrator, Tressel was the ...
. Under Rodriguez, the Wolverines opened the 2009 season with a 31–7 win against Western Michigan followed by wins over rival Notre Dame and Eastern Michigan. Following these three victories, two over weak mid-major opponents, Michigan opened its Big Ten schedule with a 36–33 win against
Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...
. However, Michigan finished the season with a 5–7 (1–7 in the Big Ten) record after road losses to
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
, and the
Iowa Hawkeyes The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 22 sports, 8 for men and 14 for women; a 15th women's sport will be added in 2023. The teams partici ...
and a 25-point home loss to Penn State followed by a 25-point loss to the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Uni ...
and a 38–36 loss at home to
Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mo ...
. Rodriguez ended the 2009 season with a 21–10 loss to rival
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
. This loss eliminated the Wolverines from bowl competition for the second year in a row. The 2010 season got off to a similar start to the 2009 campaign, with the Wolverines winning their first five games of the season. Michigan started the season off by notching a win over
Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...
, who eventually won a share of the Big East title and went on to represent the conference in a BCS bowl. By week three, the team earned a spot in the AP Top 25 at #20 and USA Today Poll at #22. Their highest AP ranking, #18, came before recording their first loss of the season against 17-ranked in-state foe and eventual Big Ten co-champion
Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...
(part of a three-way tie). The team finished Big Ten play with a 3–5 record, including a 37–7 loss against arch-rival
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
. This caused further criticism of Rodriguez, for failing to restore competitiveness to one of college football's greatest rivalries. Still, Michigan had earned a 7–5 record and, for the first time under Rodriguez, were bowl eligible. The season included such highlights as a spectacular 67–65 comeback win over Illinois in triple overtime on Nov 6 and a special talent in sophomore quarterback
Denard Robinson Denard Xavier Robinson (born September 22, 1990) is currently the Assistant Director of Player Personnel for the University of Michigan football program. Robinson is also a former American football running back who played for four seasons in th ...
who in 12 games passed for 2,316 yards and rushed for 1,643 yards while accounting for 30 rushing and passing touchdowns. Rodriguez led Michigan to its first New Year's Day bowl since the 2007 season when Michigan accepted a bid to play in the
Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...
. However, Michigan's 38-point loss to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl was the worst bowl loss in school history. Due to the team's disappointing season after such a promising start, and another loss to Ohio State, Rodriguez finished the regular season campaign amidst speculation that he would not return for the 2011 season. Rumors about Rodriguez's ousting heated up after the season, when
Stanford Cardinal The Stanford Cardinal are the athletic teams that represent Stanford University. As of June, 2022, Stanford's program has won 131 NCAA team championships. Stanford has won at least one NCAA team championship each academic year for 46 consecutive ...
head coach and former Michigan quarterback,
Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh (; born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current and 20th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. He played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He play ...
, did not attend an anniversary dinner recognizing the 1985 Michigan team. Harbaugh had been rumored to replace Rodriguez in seasons past. At Michigan, Rodriguez suffered a 20-point home loss to a Big Ten opponent in all three seasons he coached (most recently against
Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, a 48–28 loss). In his first two years, Rodriguez had no wins in October against Football Bowl Subdivision teams and did not record a win against such an opponent until the 2010 season, recording a road victory over Indiana. At Michigan, Rodriguez had a 2–7 record against the Wolverines' three regular season rivals: Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan State, recording victories against Notre Dame in the 2009 and 2010 campaigns. Rodriguez was rumored to be let go as Michigan coach on January 4, 2011. School officials initially denied this, but the following day, athletic director Dave Brandon announced that Rodriguez had been dismissed. Rodriguez has the lowest winning percentage (.405) of any coach in Michigan football's history. He also went 0–3 against Ohio State (outscored 100-24) and 0–3 against Michigan State. He oversaw the end of the longest active bowl streak in the NCAA. Recruiting also took a significant downturn during the Rodriguez era which would have an impact for the years following his tenure at Michigan. Rodriguez worked as an analyst for
CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...
for most of the 2011 season before being hired to coach at Arizona. He had previously participated in CBS's 2011 Signing Day Coverage. When asked if he regretted moving to Michigan, he said: "I think it's easy to go back now and say, 'Gee, made a mistake.' And you can say that now because of hindsight. But at the time, some of the things I was looking to do and the opportunity that was there, you kind of make the move....but you know hindsight is always easier to look back and say, 'it was a mistake.' Because we did have a good thing going at West Virginia, and we really enjoyed it. As you look back at it, twasn't the best move. Easy to say now." When asked if he would ever return to coaching, Rodriguez said, "I'm open to another opportunity, but we'll see. Here, that window looks like it's closed, but if something comes open after this season, and it seems like it may be a good opportunity for me and someone is interested, I'm sure I'll look into it." In June 2011, Rodriguez put the family home in York Township, Michigan up for sale for an asking price of $1.9 million. The tumultuous three years with Michigan was chronicled in great detail in ''Three and Out'', written by
John U. Bacon John U. Bacon is an American journalist and author of books on sports and business as well as a sports commentator on TV and radio. Background After graduating from Huron High School, Bacon earned a bachelor's degree in History and a master's de ...
. Bacon was given full insider access from the start of the 2008 season all the way through the search for Rodriguez's successor. The book also covers Rich Rodriguez's career before coming to Michigan, including the buyout from West Virginia.


Arizona

Following Rodriguez's tenure at CBS, he was hired as the 30th head coach of the
Arizona Wildcats football The Arizona Wildcats football program represents the University of Arizona (UA) in the sport of American college football. Arizona competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Sou ...
program on November 21, 2011. His hiring was first announced by University of Arizona athletic director
Greg Byrne Greg Byrne, K.C. (born April 14, 1960, in Harvey, New Brunswick) is a lawyer and former MLA in the province of New Brunswick, Canada. Byrne was educated at Fredericton High School, Saint Thomas University (where he received a Bachelor of Ar ...
on
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while a press conference officially announcing him as the head coach was held a day later at
McKale Center McKale Memorial Center is an athletic arena in the southwest United States, located on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. As the home of the university's Wildcats basketball team of the Pac-12 Conference, it is primar ...
in
Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
. Rodriguez's hiring ended a 41-day search for a head coach which started after Mike Stoops was dismissed after eight seasons as Wildcat head coach. In Rodriguez's first season at Arizona, the Wildcats finished the season 8–5 with a win over
Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
in the New Mexico Bowl. The season, which included Arizona running back Ka'Deem Carey breaking the school single-season records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, was Rodriguez' first winning debut season and first bowl appearance in a debut season. It also tied
Jim Young James Norman Young (born June 6, 1943) is a former professional American football and Canadian football player. Young played running back and wide receiver for the NFL's Minnesota Vikings for two seasons (1965–66), and the CFL's BC Lions f ...
for the most wins in an Arizona coach's debut season. The Wildcats posted an 8–5 record in Rodriguez' second season as head coach. The season saw the emergence of star running back Carey and was capped with a victory over
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classified ...
in the AdvoCare V100 Bowl. In his third year, Rodriguez led the Wildcats to their first 5–0 start and top 10 ranking since 1998 after beating No. 2 Oregon 31–24. He then lost his first game to Southern California and subsequently lost to UCLA. After compiling an 0–2 mark against in-state arch-rival Arizona State his first two years, Rodriguez's Wildcats defeated the Sun Devils, 42–35 in 2014 to win the Pac-12 South Division, the first divisional championship in program history. The Wildcats advanced to the Pac-12 Football Championship Game at
Levi's Stadium Levi's Stadium is an American football stadium located in Santa Clara, California, just outside San Jose in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has served as the home venue for the National Football League (NFL)'s San Francisco 49ers since 201 ...
in
Santa Clara, California Santa Clara (; Spanish for " Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in the Bay Area. Located in the southern Bay Area, the cit ...
, where they were defeated by their conference rivals, the
Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. ...
, 51–13 (despite winning the regular season match-up). The Wildcats then played in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl, the school's third major-bowl appearance, where they faced the Boise State Broncos. Arizona lost the game to Boise State, 38–30. Under Coach Rodriguez, the Wildcats finished the 2014 season with a record of 10–4 (7–2 Pac-12), achieving only the second 10-win regular season in program history; the Wildcats also finished the season ranked #17 in the ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...
''
Coaches Poll The Coaches Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football, Division I college basketball, and Division I college baseball teams. The football version of the poll has been known officiall ...
and #19 in the
AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and br ...
. In what turned out to be his final game at Arizona, he coached the Wildcats to a 38-35 loss against
Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mo ...
in the
2017 Foster Farms Bowl The 2017 Foster Farms Bowl was an American college football bowl game played on December 27, 2017, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. It was one of the 2017–18 bowl games concluding the 2017 FBS football season. The 16th edition of t ...
on December 27, 2017.


Firing

Rodriguez's former administrative assistant filed a multimillion-dollar claim accusing him of sexually harassing her and creating a hostile work environment for years. Rodriguez was fired on January 2, 2018 after a three-month internal investigation by the
Arizona Wildcats The Arizona Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent the University of Arizona, located in Tucson. The Wildcats compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I ( Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for college foot ...
. He admitted to having an extramarital affair, but denied all allegations of other sexual misconduct. The lawsuit filed by his former administrative assistant was dismissed in September 2019.


Ole Miss

On December 31, 2018, it was announced that Rodriguez accepted the offensive coordinator position at the
University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...
( Ole Miss), joining newly hired defensive coordinator
Mike MacIntyre George Michael MacIntyre (born March 14, 1965) is an American football coach. He is the head coach at FIU. MacIntyre served as the head football coach at San Jose State University from 2010 to 2013 and the University of Colorado Boulder from 2 ...
(recently fired head coach at
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...
) on the staff of head coach Matt Luke. He received a three-year contract. After Matt Luke was fired in December 2019, new head coach
Lane Kiffin Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Kiffin formerly was the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans football The USC Trojans football program represent ...
did not offer a contract to Rodriguez.


Louisiana–Monroe

On January 12, 2021, it was announced that Rodriguez had accepted the position of Offensive Coordinator at
University of Louisiana at Monroe The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Cen ...
.


Jacksonville State

On November 30, 2021, Rodriguez was introduced as the new head coach of the
Jacksonville State Gamecocks The Jacksonville State Gamecocks are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Jacksonville State University (JSU) located in Jacksonville, Alabama, United States. The Gamecocks athletic program is a member of the ASUN Conference, which it rejoined ...
.


Spread option

Rodriguez is considered a pioneer of a no huddle, run-oriented version of the
spread offense :''"Spread offense" may also refer to the four corners offense in basketball.'' The spread offense is an offensive scheme in gridiron football that typically places the quarterback in the shotgun formation, and "spreads" the defense horizonta ...
, although a pass-first version was already being implemented by others. He first developed this offensive approach at Glenville State and refined it during his stops at Tulane with Shaun King, at Clemson with Woodrow Dantzler, and at
West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
most notably with dual-threat quarterback Pat White. This strategy features frequent use of the shotgun formation. Rodriguez is also credited for popularizing the zone read play run out of the shotgun formation. Per his recollection, in practice, he noted the quarterback seeing a defender honing in on the running back on a planned handoff, and took the ball himself. When Rodriguez asked why the quarterback changed the play, he responded that he read the defender and choose to run a different play than scripted.


Family

Rodriguez and his wife, Rita, have two children, Raquel and Rhett. His grandfather is originally from
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...
.


Head coaching record


Notes


References


External links


Louisiana–Monroe profile


* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Rich 1963 births Living people American football safeties College football announcers Arizona Wildcats football coaches Clemson Tigers football coaches Glenville State Pioneers football coaches Jacksonville State Gamecocks football coaches Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football coaches Michigan Wolverines football coaches Ole Miss Rebels football coaches Salem Tigers football coaches Tulane Green Wave football coaches West Virginia Mountaineers football coaches West Virginia Mountaineers football players People from Marion County, West Virginia Coaches of American football from West Virginia Players of American football from West Virginia American people of Spanish descent