The Pittsburgh Panthers and West Virginia Mountaineers have one of college football’s most bitter rivalries, but former Pitt head coach Dave Wannstedt apparently never allowed that intensity to turn into personal hatred for Rich Rodriguez.
Wannstedt and Rodriguez were on opposite sides of the Backyard Brawl during their coaching tenures at their alma maters, including one of the rivalry’s most memorable games. Pitt stunned Rodriguez’s Mountaineers 13-9 in 2007, preventing West Virginia from reaching the national championship game.
That history made Wannstedt’s recent comments on 93.7 The Fan particularly interesting. While speaking with former Pitt player Dorin Dickerson, Wannstedt acknowledged that there are coaches from his career toward whom he still holds some “ill feelings.” Rodriguez, however, isn’t one of them.
“I think Rich Rodriguez is a heck of a coach. I really do,” Wannstedt said. “Obviously, the rivalry and the competition and all of that, no one needs to explain that to me. I understand that side of it too, but there was never any hatred between me and Rich.”
Dave Wannstedt Gets Candid About Rich Rodriguez
Wannstedt then made his answer even more intriguing by acknowledging his feelings toward some of the other coaches he encountered throughout his career. He didn’t reveal any names, but he understood why people might assume Rodriguez would be near the top of that list…