West Virginia officially announced today the hiring of Rich Rodriguez as its 36th head football coach. At 61 years old, Rodriguez returns to Morgantown, where he previously served as head coach from 2001 to 2007. Widely recognized as one of the architects of the spread offense, Rodriguez led the Mountaineers to an impressive run during his first tenure, including three consecutive 10-win seasons from 2005 to 2007 and Big East Championships in each of those years.
Rodriguez was twice named Big East Coach of the Year, in 2003 and 2005, and his teams won or shared a total of four conference titles. Now, Rodriguez is set to begin a new chapter at WVU, bringing with him decades of coaching experience and a renewed sense of purpose.
“First off, it’s an honor to be here, to be back here,” Rodriguez said during his first meeting with the Mountaineer players. “This is my home. It was a tough decision to leave the team I left because they accomplished so much, but it was an easy decision to come to the place that I love so much.”
Rodriguez acknowledged the challenges ahead but emphasized his commitment to hard work and his growth as a coach. “And it won’t be easy, I promise you. You’ll probably work harder than you’ve ever worked in your life,” he said. “Sometimes you hear coaches brag about, I got 25 years of experience, but if they never learned or never grew, they got one year of experience repeated 20-some times. I’m a better coach now than I was a year ago. I’m a better coach now than I was 20 years ago. I’ll be a better coach next week than I am today.”
He also set the tone for what players and fans can expect under his leadership. “People have asked me, what’s hard edge mean? That means you’re going to be mentally and physically tougher than anybody and everybody that you go up against. You’ll be mentally and physically tougher than anybody you play, or you won’t be playing,” Rodriguez said. “If you’re going to sit up in your seat and you’re eager to get after somebody’s ass, you’re going to be just fine. If you’re going to play fast, you better be in shape, right? We’ll be in shape. Most of the time, we’re going to get after their ass.”
Rodriguez also addressed the significance of his return to Morgantown and the expectations placed upon him and his staff. “They didn’t hire me because Rich Rodriguez played in West Virginia or because Rich Rodriguez went to bowl games 20 years ago or whatever happened back then. I didn’t get hired because of that,” he said. “I got hired because they thought my staff and I would help take us to another level. Want to win? You’ll be fine.”
In closing, Rodriguez expressed his gratitude and determination to end his career on a high note at the place he calls home. “It’s an honor for me, again, to be back home, to be in the place that I love, and the place where I’m going to finish my career, and the place where I’m going to finish it right. I’m going to finish it right with you all leading the way. Appreciate it.”
As Rodriguez starts his new journey at WVU, Mountaineer fan can look forward to a coach who is deeply connected to the university’s traditions and to the state.
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