Rich Rodriquez debut as the Michigan head coach seemed to be the top story of almost every media outlet across college football, from the Kansas City Star to Sports Illustrated. The buzz surrounding Rich Rodriquez was unthinkable, and it was the opportunity to see Michigan Football be the premier program in the NCAA once again. People were praising Rich Rodriquez as the fountainhead of the spread offense, which was completely true. His offensive coaching style was unlike anything college football has ever seen, and seeing a revolutionary coach entering Michigan should be an exciting thing to watch. It seemed like everyone but Michigan fans were thrilled. Rich Rodriguez was a legendary, innovative college football coach that was faced with the controversies, history and reputation of the prestigious Michigan football program and that ultimately led to his firing and downfall of the team going forward. Nobody seems to understand why his time was limited at Michigan, but there are plenty of reasons explaining the experience Coach Rodriquez had and those tell the whole story behind it.
The first reason why he was treated the way he was treated at Michigan was because of the surprising record he boasted during his three years. Michigan fans are not use to losing, period. Michigan's football program, which has the most all-time wins in history (910), the most winning seasons (114), and the most undefeated seasons in Division 1 football (23) (Bacon). With those statistics, you can say that Michigan is one of the greatest programs in college football. That is a big task to fill. Rich Rodriquez had high hopes coming into this job, and he was proud to be a "Michigan man", however the fans treated him like he was a Ohio State alumni. He cou...
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...ll the hopes of becoming the face of Michigan football. He hoped of becoming the head master of one of the greatest college football programs ever. He was only limited by the culture of Michigan football. The team's culture is great, and the tradition is one the best in college football, but it wasn't a fit for Coach Rodriquez. The position he was put in was one a coach never wants to be in. It's a position where you are put in and you are required to be perfect, and you have to produce results immediately. He had the dream, but the organization limited his opportunities and refused to negotiate. Rich Rodriguez was a legendary, innovative college football coach that was faced with the controversies, history and reputation of the prestigious Michigan football program and that ultimately led to his firing and changed the way Michigan treats their coaches.