Via U-M Media Relations:
January 6, 2011
Statement from Rich Rodriguez
“I am proud of the dedication and commitment exhibited by the coaching staff and student-athletes who have represented the University of Michigan football program over the last three seasons. While I am disappointed to depart Ann Arbor before we were able to reach the level of success we had in our sights, I am confident that the players who remain have the potential to do great things and to return the Wolverines to greatness. I would like to thank our fans and our student body for their tremendous support. There is great passion for Michigan football and I have made lifelong friends through this experience.”
4 Comments
Mattkast
Still classy, even in a final defeat.
Goodbye RR.
STeve
Agreed. Classy…and you could tell the pressure was weighing on him, even last year.
tbliggins
I look forward to RR getting another opportunity and making the most of it without the local media out to get him and an irrationally divided fanbase.
phil
The old AD Bill Martin claims RR never had a chance from day one because the Michigan community did not support him. WTF?
LSU is very divided about Les Miles. What happens? Les wins games.
Stanford fills about half their stadium every game. Half the campus doesn’t know they have a football team. What happens? JH and team blows the competition away.
Ohio State’s five starting players could give a rats ass who they play for as long as they are headed for the NFL. What happens? They beat a SEC team for the first time in their bowl history.
Auburn faces national ridicule because of Cam Newton’s personal soap opera and “Father Knows Best.” What happens? They are playing for a National Championship
Since when does the opinions of a fan base ruin a coaches chances? His job is to ignore the press, ignore us boorish fans and teach his players to excel and win games. It is X’s and O’s and being a TEAM. To blame the fan base for not giving a coach a chance is so far-fetched that it’s laughable.