Glenville State College Still Loves RichRod
RichRod heading back to Glenville, WV for a college golf tournament fund raiser:
http://www.wvmetronews.com/sports.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=455…
They seem pretty happy to see him again.
“He still has some good friends here in Glenville. The town of Glenville loves him and always has. So, I think for him to come back here where he started and where he has a lot of support is exciting for him.”
It just didn't work out.
Me too. For me it is irrational to hate someone who brought us Denard.
Cosign
These^^^
Guy went thru personal h-e-double-hockey-sticks for us. All the crap he took from the media, former players, alumni, etc., who didn't want him there. DB leaving him twisting in the wind for a MONTH. Had to pass over other jobs he could have had (Miami, Maryland, etc.).
Say what you want about his coaching, schemes, recruiting, understanding of UM history, etc. -- but, what he went through for us, trying his best, getting stomped on and spit out, he took a LOT for the team.
And, everyone report I've seen of him -- former players to recruits -- all say he's a friendly, down-to-earth, up-front kinda guy. Like many people from Western PA and WV are, frankly, if you know the region.
So while I long ago advocated a change (after the PSU game, posted it here on MGOBLOG), that doesn't affect my view of the man. RR, to me, will always be a Michigan Man, and I'll root for him wherever he goes.
'Cept when he plays us, of course.
can sometimes mean taking steps back to a community in which one has had success. Glad to see he is out and about. Will be looking forward to seeing his name listed as part of the first coaching searches next fall.
RR is a good guy. His style of play just didn't work out for this team or conference. I am really glad that at least parts of West Virginia are welcoming him back.
Style of play could have worked on offense at the very least, but his coaching decisions were his biggest downfall IMO, plus the snowballing negativity surrounding the program (which was due in part to his mistakes, negative media attention towards him, and most importantly, his losses).
I'll still never understand why he left WVU for any other college team. He had finished as a top two team in a BCS conference for six years in a row, winning three consecutive bowl games (I'll count the Fiesta Bowl)...all at his alma mater!
was fractured and the fact that the AD refused to give RR help with facilities upgrades(which is why he flirted with Alabama before coming back to WVU). Throw in with the loss against their rival, Pitt, his AD bertrated RR so that was the straw that broke the camel's back. This is why RR contacted Michigan out of the blue.
It's downright depressing there and the football facilities suck.
Jeff Casteel disagrees, for reasons unknown.
My biggest regret, is never having tried Rita's famous Nacho dip. I hope to see RR on the sidelines again. Hopefully at a program I don't hate.
Glenville State I still have love for RR for everything he did at GSU!
He is a good man and I wish him nothing but the best.
I was amongst the many who were calling for his firing by around mid-season, but (aside from being fired), I not because I thought he was a bad coach and not because I thought he was a bad guy. I only wanted him gone because I realized that his tenure had reached a point where the perception of his perpetual hot seat, combined with the sharp split in the fanbase, prevented him from ever having a real chance at success. I think that the way that things unfolded probably led him to make some of the poor decisions that led to his demise here.
I actually think that RR is a great coach, and that if he can find the right job, he can get back on top. People in the sports world have very short memories.
Good luck, coach.
The positive comments you see over and again about Rodriguez indicate those things that make Mgoblog Michigan fans so great. No hard feelings, best of luck, and shared responsibility for why it didn't work. It would be nice if that was the dominant mood among all Michigan fans. But human nature is to place blame or try to.
These are the most intelligent and informed of the lot and represent themselves well on the issue. They understand that there isn't reason for negativity at this point.
Agreed...It's still disappointing that there are a ton of Michigan fans that call him DickRod.
It will be quite a spectacle when our two teams meet in the national championship game, and that will be the first time I root against him.
I personally do not see Washington State ever making the BCS championship game
Dunno why so many comments here are/were below the threshold.
Good to see warm feelings toward RR. I think he is a genuinely good person, and he did work his butt off here for our team and program. It didn't work, but he still has some awesome achievements and legacies: Denard, for one, and Brock Mealer, for another.
Hope is putting game is better than his defense
Classy of a guy he was. He very often upset me by saying all the wrong things in media conferences and such but he also had a lot of bad luck. Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor's injuries, all the secondary losses, the West Virginia hatred putting a cloud over him, and the lack of support from the alumni.
Since he's been gone I would not blame him at all if he threw the Michigan alums under the bus more saying they never gave him a chance or w/e else. But he really hasn't and on top of that all the Michigan swag he raised money with was a really cool thing.
I still love me some Rich Rod. Can't we bring him back this year as a senior snake oil consultant and personal Denard coach?
But it would be sweet to see what a team coached by BH with an offense coached by RR and a defense coached by Mattison could do.
Either way, good luck to RR. I love the guy and wish him nothing but the best.
I'm pretty sure there's a bylaw hidden somewhere in the NCAA rulebooks preventing this. Something about an "unfair competitive advantage"