Rich Rodriquez Newest Wolverine

UPDATE: Rodriguez introduced as Wolverine

By Jake Stump
Daily Mail Capitol Reporter

New Michigan Wolverines football coach Rich Rodriguez today did not specifically address why he suddenly left West Virginia University other than to say it was time for him to move on.

"I'm just changing jobs," he said at a press conference in Ann Arbor.

Rodriguez dodged questions about the reasons behind his departure from the Morgantown two weeks before a Fiesta Bowl showdown with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Rodriguez repeatedly stated that it was the most difficult decision in his career and that he'd rather not talk about the past and WVU.

"I don't think there's a need to talk about the past process," Rodriguez said in response to a reporter's question concerning his talks with Michigan. "Everything was first class. Everything was dealt with in a forthright manner."

Rodriguez said he still hadn't talked to WVU officials about his decision or the Oklahoma game, but he made it clear that he wouldn't coach the Mountaineers in the Jan. 2 bowl. The letter of his resignation that a graduate assistant passed along to Athletic Director Ed Pastilong on Sunday said he was resigning effective Jan. 3.

"If a coach stays on, he becomes the focus of the game," he said. "I don't want to be a distraction."

The 44-year-old native of Grant Town, Marion County, tried focusing more on his goals at Michigan rather than West Virginia during the press conference.

He opened the press conference attempting to joke around by saying, "What a great crowd. They must be giving away free hats or something."

He later quoted a scene from the Disney movie, "Lion King."

Rodriguez also acknowledged former WVU basketball coach John Beilein, who, too, left the Mountaineers for the Wolverines this year.

"I'm excited to be back with my good friend John Beilein," he said. "I was excited when his house sold quickly. Hopefully, mine will do the same."

When asked how he would deal with the buyout and his WVU contract, Rodriguez said that decision was left to the university.

He was also asked about Michigan's rivalry with Ohio State.

"The hecklers let me know about that yesterday," said Rodriguez, who was met with a chorus of jeers and insults from Mountaineer fans as he and his family departed Sunday from Morgantown Municipal Airport.

"What bothered me most was getting that 'O-H thing (Ohio State's football cheer),'" he continued.

Michigan Athletic Director Bill Martin introduced their new coach at the press conference. Martin noted that Fielding Yost, who won four national championships with Michigan in the early 1900s, grew up in Fairview, five miles from Rodriguez's hometown of Grant Town.

Rodriguez introduced his family at the press conference and talked a little about his hometown. He joked that Grant Town had a sign that said 'Home of Rich Rodriguez' but that residents probably already scratched it out.

"Some people are a little upset and probably will stay so," he said. "But I hope for the great people in the state of West Virginia, they'll look at what we've done in the last seven years."

Charleston Daily Mail