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THE TWO SIDES OF RICH RODRIGL
IEZ
ich Rodriguez was the defensive line coach
at Fairmont State (W. Vs.) in the summer
of 1989. Dusty Rutledge, a huge Wolverine
fan, assisted Rodriguez there and wore a
Michigan hat every day.
"He called me little Bo," Rutledge said.
Now, 19 years later, many Wolverine fans are hoping
it's Rodriguez who replicates the legendary Michigan
coach.
When Bo Schembechler was hired in 1968, the
Detroit News's headline read "Bo Who?" For his first
game, Michigan Stadium was less than three-quarters
full. A new artificial field called Tartan Turf drew more
attention than the first-year coach. And 12,000 fans
held a peace rally in the Diag after the game, also taking
the focus off Schembechler.
He had about as anonymous a welcome to Michigan
a head football coach could get - not a bit like
Rodriguez.
Rodriguezhasdominatedlocalandnationalheadlines
in the nine months since he was hired. He quickly
fired all the Michigan assistants, drawing criticism
from Mike Hart. His messy split from West Virginia
dragged through the summer. Left guard Justin Boren
transferred to Ohio State, saying Michigan's "family
values have eroded." The new coach tried to give a non-
receiver the No. 1 jersey. He changed the way captains
are picked. And he lost his first game in front of a packed
Big House last Saturday.
You probably already have an opinion about
Rodriguez. But if it was simple and quickly determined,
it's most assuredly wrong.
Rodriguez can't be adequately explained by singular
descriptions. He's a country boy, yet a celebrity.
Competitive, yet compassionate. He's a prodigy, yet
has been passed over. Harsh, yet loose. He's a West
Virginia man, yet a Michigan Man. Put simply, he's a
contradiction.
COUNTRY/ CELEBRITY
Rodriguez was born May 24,1963 in Grant Town, W.
Va. He grew up on a farm in a coalmining community.
The foreman lived in the big house on the top of a hill,
the bosses lived below that, and the general workers
lived at the bottom.
His grandfather died from black lung, his dad was a
coalminer and so were his dad's brothers.
Rodriguez went down to the mines once and
immediately knew he belonged above ground. His dad
told him an education would be the only way to stay
out.
Rodriguez worked hard in school, nearly earning a
4.0. His 10th-grade algebrateacher gave him his only 'B'
because she didn't believe in giving 'A's, since nobody's
perfect.
He excelled in sports, particularly basketball and
football. He led his football team to a state title in
1980 and had scholarship offers to play basketball at
Davidson, Marshall and East=Tennessee State.
But he passed on all those offers to walk on to the
West Virginia football team. His dad was laid off at
the time, so he used Pell grant money and academic
scholarships to pay tuition.
"I wanted to play
in the biggest arena I
couldbein,"Rodriguez
said. "I don't know,
"competitive or what,
but I wanted to prove
that I could play."
He earned a
scholarship after
his first year in
Morgantown, W. Va.
As a backup free safety, R
and three interceptions int
After graduating fromV
one year as a student assist
special teams and seconda
(W. Va.)
Salem's defensive coor
lived about an hour and a I
a cabin near town that h
season. He let Rodriguez li
Warwick cooked for hii
cornbread. Rodriguez hat
because it reminded him ofI
farm growing up - by far,
pair also went hunting and
"He was like a son to me,
RodriguezreplacedWarm
at Salem in 1987. The nex
Griffith bought a.bar and
became head coach and wei
dropped its football prograi
After spending a year
West Virginia and teachini
high school, Rodriguez too
Glenville State (W.Va.).
When he started, a dog
he had to have the room fu
get much better.
Rodriguez and his wif
own money to improve the
go to his parents' house tc
maintenance.
Rita pitched in, too. Som
painted the 'G' at midfield o
One spring, the football f
his staff used some land a
owned to practice. The cc
to clear a field, mowing th
grass.
The creek near the make
so the bridge to get there
had to walk across a swingi
* eventually went across one
along.
"Some kid would be sca
next, he'd be swinging the1
coached with Rodriguez at
an administrative assistant
When Rodriguez was at S
wasn't famous, and he still h
many that know him, Rodri
who doesn't like spicy food
skills.
Rich Rodriguez has brought a new look to the Michigan football
program. Many have an opinion of the first outside hire in 39
years, but what is the 18th coach of the Wolverines really like?
By Dan Feldman I Daily Sports Editor
odriguez totaled 54 tackles That small-time family atmosphere stuck. He makes said. "Next thing you
hree years.ahis players learn the names of everybody in the football into relay races, and
'est Virginia and spending facility, little kids."
taut, Rodriguez became the But Rodriguez has become quite the celebrity now. To instill compe
ry assistant coach at Salem Former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr disdained developed a superst
attention. Rodriguez revels in it, appearing very the Mountaineer 01
dinator, Lonnie Warwick, comfortable in the spotlight. Olympics. Over the y
half from Salem, but he had . Since becoming offensive coordinator at Tulane eating contest, toba
e stayed in during football so 1997 and helping the Green Wave to a 7-4 record, dodgeball and belly-f
ve in the attic for free. Rodriguez has had his name linked publicly to no Rodriguez also h
as usually pinto beans and less than 24 head coaching jobs. Michigan receives Rdriguez asonh
inusullypino bansandan inordinate number of requests for interviews with pedals on a stationar
ed eating beans, probably hi t at nearly the bike's h
picking beans on his family's sn. workout sessions.
his least favorite chore. The Rodriguez is in demand. "I could be in prod
ate venison together. could be in, and I still
" Warwick said. COMPETITIVE/ COMPASSIONATE Mozes, an All-Amer
wick as defensive coordinator West Virginia.
vckasdensivecoodhnor Eastern Kentucky offensive coordinator Mike Bet Vira
boat and quit. Rodriguez Springston and Rodriguez were driving for a recruiting slow down.
nt 2-8 his first season. Salem trip when both worked at Glenville State. They came Mike Smith, an a
im the following year. to a road that followed a creek. As is the custom in the a distant friend who
as a volunteer assistant at area, Springston drove down the middle of the twisting asked Rodriguez tog
g driver's training at his old road, cutting the curves the best he could. over a signed ball and
k over as the head coach at They met with high school coaches for about an Smith asked howi
hour, and Rodriguez volunteered to drive back. When Rodriguez taked for
was living in his office, and they got past the winding road, Rodriguez pulled over child was.
amigated. Conditions didn't before getting on the interstate. Once when he was
He looks at his watch and says, 'OK, I won,' " his daughter, Raquel,
e, Rita, often spent their Springston said. "I said, 'Won what?' And he said, 'Well, After some difficu
e program. He would often I drove back on these crooked roads faster than you examined and every
o get equipment to use for drove down. And -I said, 'Rich, I didn't even know we started thinking abou
were competing. If I had known that, I would've drove gotten on Shaun Kio
setimes she lined the fields, .on to have a six-ear
r made encouraging signs-. "That was the wrong statement, because everything analyst, pretty hard a
ield flooded. Rodriguez and about everything for Rich Rodriguez is a competition." "He said that mo
local booster, Ike Morris, Growing up, if Rodriguez got good grades and played to Shaun King's apa
oachet used hand mowers sports, he was excused from his chores around the farm, hugged him, told him
alines of the field into the like tending to the garden and animals. He wanted to be waseshmbodhs'
-fthe best student and athlete so he didn't have to pick was somebody else's I
shift field was flooded, too, beans. rwhat we want, they'
was unusable. The players ge so angry aer losing spoting ore important to so
ng bridge to get there. They events as a kid that his parents would put him in the
a time, their cleats clacking backseat on the way home and put a blanket over his PRODI
head.
red, and another kid who's "(We) said when you decide to come back to normal, In 2000, Northw
bridge," said Rutledge, who you can take the blanket off so we can see you again," using a variation of
Glenville State and is now said Arleen, Rodriguez's mother. .sby aodria. The
When Rodriguez was at Glenville, he played pickup bycRdig Th
at Michigan. including 332 rushli
alem and Glenville State, he basketball with his staff and players every day at noon. had ever given up o
tas that down-home feel. To The games got pretty intense and Rodriguez was known a message for the
iguez is still an average to throw a few elbows. messagor hi
gu iss't aaverage guy "I always told him he didn't guard anybody and he oordinator Kevin W
and doesn't have carpentry shot too much," said Gary Nottingham, who was the uI said, 'Kevin,
used your own signE
men's basketball coach at
Glenville then and is now
assistant to the head coach at
Illinois. "Tell him I said the
only time he shot the ball was
when it was in his hands."
In the summer, everyone
would be pretty hot after
playing.
"So you'd jump in the pool,
just to cool off," Rutledge
u know, Coach has got us split up
we're racing around the pool like
tition in his players, Rodriguez
ars competition, which became
ympics and is now the Wolverine
ears, events have included an egg-
cco-spitting contest, swimming,
lop contests.
as a very strong self-drive. He
ry bike for 45'minutes to an hour
ighest speed between his players'
bably the best conditioning. I ever
1 probably couldn't do it," said Dan
ican center under Rodriguez at
ormany to believe, Rodriguez can
uto dealer in West Virginia, had
se kid was in the hospital. Smith
go visit the child. Rodriguez took
d stayed more than an hour.
it went, expecting a brief answer.
45 minutes about how smart the
at Tulane, Rodriguez had to take
to the emergency room one night.
lty getting her looked at, she was
thing turned out OK. Rodriguez
ut that morning's practice. He had
g, his quarterback who would go
NFL career and is now an ESPN
nd used some harsh language.
ning when he got to work, he went
rtment and he woke him up and
he loved him because Shaun King
baby, somebody else's child," Davis
ke 'em or not, or whether they do
re somebody's child, and they're
mebody else than they are to us."
GY/ PASSED OVER
western upset Michigan 54-51,
the spread offense developed
Wildcats rolled up 654 yards,
ng, the most the Wolverines
n the ground. Rodriguez had
en-Northwestern offensive
ilson after the game.
it least you could have
als and terminology,' "
1988
Head coach, Salem
1981-84
Walk-on defensive
back at West Virginia.
1985
Student assistant,
West Virginia
1986
Special teams/
secondary assistant
coach, Salem (W.Va.)
1987
Defensive coor-
dinator, Salem
1989
Volunteer assistant, West
Virginia. Outside line-
backers and scout team
I
1990-96
Head coach, Glen-
ville State (W.Va.)
1997-98
Offensive coor-
dinator, Tulane
1999-2000
Offensive coordi-
nator, Clemson
2000-07
Head coach,
West Virginia
2008
Head coach,
Michigan