Fansided

25 worst college football coaching hires in history

By Nicholas Ian Allen

PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 1: Head coach Mike Price of the Washington State University Cougars manages the game from the sidelines during the 89th Rose Bowl game against University of Oklahoma Sooners at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2003 in Pasadena, California. Oklahoma defeated Washington St. 34-14. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 1: Head coach Mike Price of the Washington State University Cougars manages the game from the sidelines during the 89th Rose Bowl game against University of Oklahoma Sooners at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2003 in Pasadena, California. Oklahoma defeated Washington St. 34-14. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
5 of 25
Next
ANN ARBOR, MI – NOVEMBER 20: Head coach Rich Rodriguez of the Michigan Wolverines reacts while playing the Wisconson Badgers at Michigan Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Wisconsin won the game 48-28. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI – NOVEMBER 20: Head coach Rich Rodriguez of the Michigan Wolverines reacts while playing the Wisconson Badgers at Michigan Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Wisconsin won the game 48-28. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

21. Rich Rodriguez, Michigan

  • Hired: December 2007
  • Fired: January 2011
  • Record at Michigan: 15-22 (.405)
  • Career head coaching record: 156-113-2 (.576)

Sometimes things just don’t work out. Before there was Charlie Strong at Texas, there was Rich Rodriguez at Michigan.

Llyod Carr retired after the 2007 season, his 13th as Michigan head football coach. The Wolverines hired Rodriguez, who led his alma mater, West Virginia, to a 60-26 record and four conference titles in seven seasons as head coach, for the job.

A proponent of the spread-to-run offense, and inventor of the zone read play, Rodriguez’s offensive scheme was a departure from the pro-style system most Michigan players (and fans) were used to. Quarterbacks had a particularly different role in the new scheme, as they were asked to carry the football far more in Rich Rod’s attack than under Carr.

The team’s 3-9 record in Rodriguez’s first season at Michigan – the first losing record the Wolverines produced in more than four decades – showed the growing pains that came along with the new system. A second losing season in 2009 practically sealed Rich Rod’s fate and a 7-5 regular season and Gator Bowl berth couldn’t save him in 2010.

In addition to the often discussed scheme change, Rodriguez, who was often derided for not being a “Michigan Man” during his tenure, also struggled to deal with some off field “BS,” as he called it in an interview with Ted Miller of ESPN in 2014.

Brady Hoke, a “Michigan Man” that replaced Rich Rod in Ann Arbor, didn’t work out either in the long run. However, the Wolverines have finally found their man, Jim Harbaugh, who posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in his first two seasons at his alma mater.

Home/College Football