0 0 'i-ff^" 7 40 - V;-I,-ff - CAA- C--4-k- C ItNAO 63 - Kickoff - Friday, 8eember 5, 2008 maay Jeptember 5, LUUtS - KICKOSt - /5 ts 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