New West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez admitted Friday that he made a mistake by leaving the Mountaineers for Michigan 17 years in the past.
Based on the welcome he obtained from the hundreds of followers who attended his introductory information convention Friday, a lot gave the impression to be forgiven — apart from one man who yelled at Rodriguez simply as he began talking. The crowd rapidly drowned out the heckler, who was escorted from the campus area.
Rodriguez took the jeers in stride, responding with a joke geared toward West Virginia’s largest rival: “OK, another Pitt followers can go away the constructing.”
The crowd, which included Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen and former gamers comparable to Avon Cobourne and Owen Schmitt, roared in response.
And that is how the second tour of Rodriguez at his alma mater obtained began.
“This is actually surreal,” mentioned Rodriguez, who obtained emotional and paused just a few occasions throughout his speech. “I by no means ought to have left.”
Rodriguez rejoined the Mountaineers on a five-year contract, which averages a base wage of $3.75 million over the course of the deal, together with $3.5 million in 2025, sources informed ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The deal contains incentives that would push the worth considerably increased, pending win totals and different thresholds, sources mentioned.
Rodriguez went 60-26 at West Virginia from 2001 to 2007. The fanbase was devastated, first when West Virginia bungled an opportunity to play for the BCS nationwide championship by dropping to heavy underdog Pittsburgh 13-9 within the 2007 season finale at house and once more when Rodriguez was gone two weeks later for Ann Arbor.
Rodriguez, 61, who was named coach on Thursday after spending three seasons at Jacksonville State, mentioned he has grown each as an individual and a coach all through his lengthy profession, “and specifically within the 17 years since I made the error of leaving.”
Rodriguez carries some baggage. His three years at Michigan, the place he was fired after the 2010 season, have been marred by NCAA violations for exceeding limits on apply and coaching time in school soccer’s winningest program.
He was fired after six years at Arizona in January 2018 when his former administrative assistant filed a declare with the Arizona lawyer basic’s workplace accusing him of sexually harassing her and making a hostile work atmosphere. The college mentioned it could not substantiate the claims however was involved concerning the “path and local weather of the soccer program.” The lawsuit was later dismissed.
Without going into element, athletic director Wren Baker mentioned Rodriguez was “honest and real in proudly owning these errors and the following classes he discovered from them.”
In 2000, Rodriguez took his first main faculty head-coaching job after being a Clemson assistant, and a number of other dozen folks attended his introduction at West Virginia in a room overlooking Mountaineer Field.
On Friday, West Virginia went all-out. Concession stands bought beer, the marching band performed, and followers packed the stands.
ESPN character Pat McAfee, a kicker and punter on the 2007 group, aired his every day present reside from the sector ground, together with an interview with Rodriguez previous to the principle occasion.
“We’re about to go get some championships, and that is what at the moment is all about,” McAfee mentioned.
Head coaches who come again for a second stint at a college aren’t so uncommon.
Scott Frost not too long ago returned to UCF. Among different coaches who made repeat visits over the previous decade embody Mack Brown at North Carolina, Greg Schiano at Rutgers, Brady Hoke at San Diego State, Jeff Tedford at Fresno State, Bill Snyder at Kansas State and Randy Edsall at UConn.
Bobby Petrino twice was head coach at Louisville and served as coach and later offensive coordinator at Arkansas.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
