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A review by ewp11577
Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines in the Crucible of College Football by John U. Bacon
5.0
I am a longtime, long-suffering WVU fan. I remember the devastating 13-9 loss to Pitt. I remember Rich Rod's flirtations with Alabama in 2006--even being told he was hired and they were looking at people like Jimbo Fischer to replace him. I remember being told by a Pitt fan in Pittsburgh while in line for a WWE event that he had taken the Michigan job. Hearing that Rodriguez had "thrown the Pitt game" to be safe (I do not believe this, I think it was his stubbornness, refusing to thrown against cover zero).
I still do not like Rich Rod and how he left his alma mater. Having heard an interview with Tony Caridi, I think he regrets how it went down. That said, having read Bacon's excellent account--long-delayed due to leaving the book at my office pre-pandemic--I started to feel at least a little badly for Rodriguez. I am not a "fire them now!" guy, especially when a team is making a radical change in philosophy, and I do think Rodriguez should have gotten at least one more year, but the reactions of the most influential Michigan faithful were, in a word, embarrassing.
The concept of the "Michigan Man" as prerequisite is...well, dumb. From that perspective, Rich was never going to be accepted, and when a sizeable portion of the fanbase is hoping you fail, you will. I do not doubt that Rich worked hard and would have succeeded given time.
A very good, very quick read, for fans of college football.
I still do not like Rich Rod and how he left his alma mater. Having heard an interview with Tony Caridi, I think he regrets how it went down. That said, having read Bacon's excellent account--long-delayed due to leaving the book at my office pre-pandemic--I started to feel at least a little badly for Rodriguez. I am not a "fire them now!" guy, especially when a team is making a radical change in philosophy, and I do think Rodriguez should have gotten at least one more year, but the reactions of the most influential Michigan faithful were, in a word, embarrassing.
The concept of the "Michigan Man" as prerequisite is...well, dumb. From that perspective, Rich was never going to be accepted, and when a sizeable portion of the fanbase is hoping you fail, you will. I do not doubt that Rich worked hard and would have succeeded given time.
A very good, very quick read, for fans of college football.