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.
“I do have some ill feelings about some other coaches,” Wannstedt said. “Everybody would have assumed it would have been Rich. That’s why I said that, but it’s not at all. I think he does a heck of a job. I really do.”
The respect is especially notable considering how closely the two coaches were connected by the Backyard Brawl. Wannstedt coached Pitt from 2005 through 2010, while Rodriguez’s first WVU tenure ran from 2001 through 2007.
Both were also coaching their alma maters, adding another layer to a rivalry that already carried enormous importance throughout the region. Pitt’s official game notes from the era specifically highlighted that connection.
Nearly two decades after their most famous meeting, Wannstedt doesn’t appear interested in holding anything against Rodriguez. There may be some former coaching rivals Wannstedt still isn’t particularly fond of. Pitt fans and WVU fans can officially cross Rich Rodriguez off that list.
Former Pitt Coach Dave Wannstedt Makes Surprising Admission About WVU’s Rich Rodriguez