A Look Back at 2007: What happened when Rich Rodriguez left WVU?

MORGANTOWN, W.Va (WDTV) –

Seventeen years after leaving his alma mater for Michigan, Rich Rodriguez has returned as the 36th Head Coach of the West Virginia Football program. But how did it all end during Rodriguez’ first stint at the helm?

During his original tenure at West Virginia (2001-07) WVU Football was a nationally prominent program. That included four Big East Titles and multiple bowl victories, headlined by a 38-35 win in the 2006 Sugar Bowl over Georgia. Rodriguez went 4-3 in Backyard Brawls, but one Brawl loss remains unforgettable for Mountaineer fans.

December 1, 2007. The 100th edition of the famed rivalry game. Pitt, with a 4-7 record. West Virginia, 10-1, was ranked #2 in the nation. A win against Pitt in the final game of the season would put WVU in the national championship game. But then, the unthinkable happened. Pitt upset the Mountaineers 13-9 in Morgantown to spoil their National Championship hopes.

Shortly after the brutal defeat, Rodriguez left West Virginia to become the head coach of the University of Michigan. This exit was followed by Bill Stewart taking over as interim head coach, who then led the team to 48-28 win in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl.Rich Rodriguez left his alma mater after totaling a 60-26 overall record in seven seasons – but it was not without a fight. West Virginia filed a lawsuit against Rodriguez, arguing that a new contract, signed months before his departure, required a buyout fee to be paid. This would later force both Rodriguez and Michigan too pay a 4-million-dollar buyout to West Virginia.

After that was settled, his success in West Virginia did not translate to his time in Ann Arbor. Rodriguez went 15-22 in three seasons, with only one bowl appearance and was eventually fired having the worst winning percentage of any football coach in the program’s history.

From there, Rodriguez took a year off coaching, and in 2012 was hired as the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats. He stayed there for 6 seasons, totaling a 43-35 overall record. On January 2nd, 2018, Rodriguez was fired from the program, which came after a sexual harassment allegation was filed against him and the school by a former administrative assistant. These allegations were denied by Rodriguez, and eventually the allegations were deemed unsubstantiated after a three-month university investigation.

Rodriguez then returned to head coaching in 2021-22 at Jacksonville State, leading the program to new heights. He recorded a 27-10 overall record and three consecutive nine-win seasons. Those include a 1st place finish in the ASUN Conference in 2022, a New Orleans bowl win in 2023, and the 2024 Conference USA Championship. The now 61-year-old coach will take over a program that regressed after a 9-4 2023 season, and one with a fan base desperate to get back to the national prowess the program had back in when he was the leader of the team.

9/13 will be a special day for the program next season, as Rodriguez will have the opportunity to take down Pitt in Morgantown for the 108th Backyard Brawl. Revenge for 13-9 on 9/13 may not erase the past but that game could herald a new beginning for the next chapter of West Virginia Football.

This article has been corrected. A previous version said WVU was 10-0 heading into the Backyard Brawl – they were 10-1.

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