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Rich Rodriguez is listed in one ESPN article as one of the top 10 most hated coaches in America
Seems like Michigan fans just can’t let go of the idea of former coach Rich Rodriguez’s brief turbulent tenure in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Rodriguez made some comments when he was hired at Arizona about Michigan perhaps playing the Wildcats once or twice. However, according to Nick Baumgardner of AnnArbor.com, Michigan AD Dave Brandon went on a radio show recently and killed that idea when asked by the hosts. “False,” Brandon said. “We have other teams we want to play.” Baumgardner writes that last December, Rodriguez said if he did have a chance to play Michigan, it would have to be at least four or five years down the road. He didn’t want to play against anyone he personally recruited and signed. “I wouldn’t want to play against the guys I recruited,” Rodriguez is quoted as saying by Baumgardner. “Because I think we recruited some pretty good players.” …
Rodriguez is listed by ESPN.com as one of the top 10 most hated college football coaches in the history of the sport. Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com ranks Rodriguez at No. 10. “West Virginia fans absolutely loved Rodriguez, a former WVU defensive back, when he guided the Mountaineers to 60 victories and two BCS bowl games from 2001 to 2007,” Schlabach writes. “But WVU fans literally drove Rodriguez and his family from his native state after he abruptly left the school to become Michigan’s coach in 2008. Wolverines fans don’t like him too much, either, after Rodriguez went 15-22 in three seasons.” … It is an interesting list by Schlabach and ESPN.com to say the least. It includes Steve Spurrier at No. 1 partly because he labeled Florida State as “Free Shoes U” and Lane Kiffin of USC at No. 5 (that’s giving Kiffin too much credit) and former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel at No. 9 (because of his “squeaky clean” image before he withheld information about NCAA rules violations). Why isn’t former ASU coach Frank Kush, a snarly sort, ranked? He allegedly punched former punter Kevin Rutledge in the mouth after Rutledge shanked a punt against Washington in 1978. … Also, former USC coach John McKay was about as warm and fuzzy as the honey badger. Sports Illustrated once wrote about McKay: “He has, by nature, a seltzer personality, and his moody periods stand out like the quick silence after a roll of drums.” He is not ranked on this list.
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