Could Rich Rodriguez come home to WVU?

Rich Rodriguez left his home state and his alma mater in the worst terms possible.

Back in 2007, the Rodriguez-led Mountaineers dropped the worst decision in the history of WVU sports to bitter rival Pittsburgh. The infamous score of 13-9 will forever haunt the people of West Virginia. And, even though he is currently in Arizona, that brutal defeat will stick in the back of Rodriguez’s mind for the remainder of his coaching career.

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Instead of sticking by his team and lifting them out of the black hole that cost the Mountaineers a chance at a national title, Rodriguez bolted. He left the players and fans in the dust as he left for, what he thought, was greener pastures at the University of Michigan.

He went for the quick fix to his own personal problems instead of looking at the bigger picture and what a detrimental move like this would do to his personal brand and image among the millions who adored him and his football teams.

A similar situation occurred in 2010, three hours north of Morgantown, in Cleveland.

LeBron James was still blossoming into the NBA superstar he is today. He had just completed his seventh season in the league and he asserted his dominance every night on the court with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Cavs had a chance to win a title each year that James was leading the team. Despite some injuries throughout the season, 2010 looked like as good of a time as ever for James to bring a championship to Cleveland.

Like Rodriguez, James lost a game he and his team should have won.

In the 2012 playoffs, the Cavaliers lost to the Boston Celtics in Game 6 of the second round. Despite James’ triple-double effort (29 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists) in that game, it wasn’t enough for the victory and the chance to move on to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Again, like Rodriguez, James acted peculiar in the days following the devastating loss. He, too, left behind the team and the state that allowed him to grow and develop into a new role.

James left for greener, rather, pastures of white (sand) and blue (ocean) as he bolted for Miami. He thought he would be more appreciated and respected for changing jobs and going to a place where he may have a chance to win more easily.

For James, that was true. With the Miami Heat, James led the way for two NBA championships.

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At Michigan, and now Arizona, Rodriguez hasn’t been quite as fortunate. Rodriguez has a coaching record of 48-42 since leaving West Virginia. he has three bowl victories in the seven years he has been away from the Mountaineers.

Things would have been better if he had stayed in West Virginia, back in 2007.

There were some issues on both sides back then. Rodriguez had his own ego to deal with, along with the out-of-date policies of former Athletic Director Ed Pastilong. They butted heads quite a bit and the refusal to grant some of Rodriguez’s wishes ultimately led to his fateful decision to get away from WVU.

The departures of both Rodriguez and James made people in their home states quite unhappy. To be blunt, they felt betrayed. It was thought that these guys would never be welcomed back into the places they once called home.

Until 2014. For James, at least.

James returned “home” to play for the Cavaliers and promised he would bring a championship to Cleveland. Many people forgave and forgot and cheered James back to victory.

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Two seasons later, James delivered on his promise as the Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. James was now a three-time NBA Champion and the city of Cleveland had its first major sports title since 1948.

James is now, and forever, a Clevelander.

Rodriguez may not be quite as lucky.

As current WVU head coach Dana Holgorsen has yet to truly win over the fanbase and bring the Mountaineers into a true sense of competition in the Big 12 Conference, there has been talk that a new coaching direction may be the way to go in Morgantown.

If that’s the case, in the near future, the consensus says that Rodriguez will not have the chance to redeem himself.

https://twitter.com/BLUWVU/status/745059500529356800

There you have it. If current WVU Athletic Director Shane Lyons, who did not hire Holgorsen, chooses his own head coach to lead the Mountaineers, many Mountaineer fans do not want Rodriguez back in Morgantown.

Whether it was the way he seemingly turned his back on the state or the luck of the draw he had with players such as Steve Slaton and Pat White, Rodriguez wouldn’t fit right back into the Mountaineers.