Associated Press

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – New West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez admitted Friday that he made a mistake 17 years ago when he left West Virginia for Michigan.

Given the greeting from the thousands of fans who attended his introductory press conference on Friday, much seemed to be forgiven – except for one man who shouted at Rodriguez just as he began to speak. The crowd quickly drowned out the heckler, who was escorted from the campus arena.

Rodriguez took the mockery in stride and responded with a joke aimed at West Virginia’s biggest rival: “Okay, all the other Pitt fans can leave the building.”

The crowd, which included Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen and former players such as Avon Cobourne and Owen Schmitt, cheered.

And so began Rodriguez’s second tour at his alma mater.

“This is really surreal,” said Rodriguez, who became emotional and paused a few times during his speech. “I never should have left.”

Rodriguez achieved a 60-26 record from 2001 to 2007. The fan base was devastated when West Virginia blew its chance to play for the BCS national championship with a 13-9 loss to strong underdog Pittsburgh in the 2007 season finale at home, and again when Rodriguez was out two weeks later disappeared to Ann Arbor.

Rodriguez, 61, who was named coach Thursday after spending three seasons at Jacksonville State, said he has grown both as a person and as a coach over his long career, “and especially in the 17 years since I “I made the mistake of leaving.”

“Sincere and genuine”

Rodriguez is carrying some luggage. His three years at Michigan, where he was fired after the 2010 season, were marked by NCAA violations for exceeding practice and practice time limits in college football’s most successful program.

He was fired in January 2018 after six years in Arizona after his former administrative assistant filed a lawsuit with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office accusing him of sexually harassing her and creating a hostile work environment. The university said it could not substantiate the claims but was concerned about the “direction and climate of the football program.” The lawsuit was later dismissed.

Without going into detail, athletic director Wren Baker said Rodriguez was “honest and candid in admitting these mistakes and the lessons learned from them.”

McAfee as opening act

In 2000, Rodriguez took his first major head coaching job at a university after being an assistant at Clemson, and several dozen people attended his introduction to West Virginia in a room overlooking Mountaineer Field.

On Friday, West Virginia went all out. Beer was sold at concession stands, the brass band played and fans filled the stands.

ESPN personality Pat McAfee, a kicker and punter on the 2007 team, broadcast his daily show live from the arena, including an interview with Rodriguez before the start of the main event.

“We’re on the verge of winning some championships and that’s what today is about,” McAfee said.

One coach twice

Head coaches returning for a second stint at a school are not uncommon.

Scott Frost recently returned to UCF. Coaches who have visited over the last decade include Mack Brown at North Carolina, Greg Schiano at Rutgers, Brady Hoke at San Diego State, Jeff Tedford at Fresno State, Bill Snyder at Kansas State and Randy Edsall at UConn.

Bobby Petrino was a two-time head coach at Louisville and served as coach and later offensive coordinator at Arkansas.

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