Rich Rodriguez Trolls Rivals at First Press Conference as West Virginia Head Coach
The Pitt Panthers' and West Virginia Mountaineers' fan bases have bad blood. In 2011, the "Backyard Brawl" was put on an unofficial hiatus because the two schools were no longer in the same conference. This ended a streak of 68 meetings dating back to 1943. But it was probably for the best as the disturbances, fights and tailgating reached extremes. However, the two teams restarted the rivalry in 2022.
However, the Mountaineers' announcement of re-hiring Rich Rodriguez as head football coach recalls a storied time in Brawl history. "Rich Rod" was WVU's coach from 2001-07 before departing unceremoniously to coach at Michigan.
Now back in Morgantown, Rodriguez wasted little time taking shots at the Pitt Panthers and their fans.
“I misspoke earlier when I said the worst 4 letter words were soft and lazy, I left out Pitt,” noted one attendee, quoting Rodriquez.
After a Pitt fan was escorted out after causing disturbances during the press conference, Rodriguez riled up the fan base with this gem.
"Any other Pitt fans can leave the building!"
ESPN's Pat McAfee, whose playing days at West Virginia overlapped with Rodriguez's tenure, was also in attendance.
Mountaineers HC Rich Rodriguez in 2005
© Imagn Images
In 2007, one of, if not the most notorious game of the Backyard Brawl series, an unranked Pitt (4-7) upset the Mountaineers, 13-9. WVU was ranked No. 2 in the BCS, favored by 28 points, but ultimately lost the game. McAfee missed two field goals in the game.
The Backyard Brawl also became infamous because of its annual couch burnings, though its prevalence is more college football folklore.
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