News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.

Etymology

One theory claims that the English word "news" developed in the 14th century as a special use of the plural form of "new". In Middle English, the equivalent word was ''newes'', like the French ''nouvelles'' and the German ''neues''. Similar developments are found in the Slavic languages – the Czech and Slovak ''noviny'' (from ''nový'', "new"), the cognate Polish ''nowiny'' and Russian ''novosti'' – and in the Celtic languages: the Welsh ''newyddion'' (from ''newydd'') and the Cornish ''nowodhow'' (from ''nowydh'').

History

Before the invention of newspapers in the early 17th century, official government bulletins and edicts were circulated at times in some centralized empires.

The first documented use of an organized courier service for the diffusion of written documents is in Egypt, where Pharaohs used couriers for the diffusion of their decrees in the territory of the State (2400 BC). This practice almost certainly has roots in the much older practice of oral messaging and may have been built on a pre-existing infrastructure.

In Ancient Rome, ''Acta Diurna'', or government announcement bulletins, were made public by Julius Caesar. They were carved in metal or stone and posted in public places.

In China, early government-produced news sheets, called tipao, circulated among court officials during the late Han dynasty (second and third centuries AD). Between 713 and 734, the ''Kaiyuan Za Bao'' ("Bulletin of the Court") of the Chinese Tang Dynasty published government news; it was handwritten on silk and read by government officials. In 1582 there was the first reference to privately published newssheets in Beijing, during the late Ming Dynasty;

In Early modern Europe, increased cross-border interaction created a rising need for information which was met by concise handwritten newssheets. In 1556, the government of Venice first published the monthly ''Notizie scritte'', which cost one gazetta. These avvisi were handwritten newsletters and used to convey political, military, and economic news quickly and efficiently to Italian cities (1500–1700) — sharing some characteristics of newspapers though usually not considered true newspapers. Due to low literacy rates, news was at times disseminated by town criers.

Relation aller Fürnemmen und gedenckwürdigen Historien, from 1605, is recognized as the world's first newspaper.

The oldest news agency is the Agence France-Presse (AFP). It was founded in 1835 by a Parisian translator and advertising agent, Charles-Louis Havas as Agence Havas.

In modern times, printed news had to be phoned in to a newsroom or brought there by a reporter, where it was typed and either transmitted over wire services or edited and manually set in type along with other news stories for a specific edition. Today, the term "breaking news" has become trite as commercial broadcasting United States cable news services that are available 24-hours a day use live satellite technology to bring current events into consumers' homes as the event occurs. Events that used to take hours or days to become common knowledge in towns or in nations are fed instantaneously to consumers via radio, television, mobile phone, and the Internet.

Newspapers

Most large cities in the United States historically had morning and afternoon newspapers. As the media evolved and news outlets increased to the point of near over-saturation, most afternoon newspapers were shut down. Morning newspapers have been gradually losing circulation, according to reports advanced by the papers themselves. Commonly, news content should contain the "Five Ws" (who, what, when, where, why, and also how) of an event. There should be no questions remaining. Newspapers normally place hard news stories on the first pages, so the most important information is at the beginning. Busy readers can read as little or as much as they desire. Local stations and networks with a set format must take news stories and break them down into the most important aspects due to time constraints. Cable news channels such as BBC News, Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN, are able to take advantage of a story, sacrificing other, decidedly less important stories, and giving as much detail about breaking news as possible.

News organizations are often expected to aim for objectivity; reporters claim to try to cover all sides of an issue without bias, as compared to commentators or analysts, who provide opinion or personal point-of-view. Several governments impose certain constraints or police news organizations against bias. In the United Kingdom, for example, limits are set by the government agency Ofcom, the Office of Communications. Both newspapers and broadcast news programs in the United States are generally expected to remain neutral and avoid bias except for clearly indicated editorial articles or segments. Many single-party governments have operated state-run news organizations, which may present the government's views.

Even in those situations where objectivity is expected, it is difficult to achieve, and individual journalists may fall foul of their own personal bias, or succumb to commercial or political pressure. Similarly, the objectivity of news organizations owned by conglomerated corporations fairly may be questioned, in light of the natural incentive for such groups to report news in a manner intended to advance the conglomerate's financial interests. Individuals and organizations who are the subject of news reports may use news management techniques to try to make a favourable impression. Because each individual has a particular point of view, it is recognized that there can be no absolute objectivity in news reporting.

Newsworthiness

Newsworthiness is defined as a subject having sufficient relevance to the public or a special audience to warrant press attention or coverage.

In some countries and at some points in history, what news media and the public have considered "newsworthy" has met different definitions, such as the notion of news values. For example, mid-twentieth-century news reporting in the United States focused on political and local issues with important socio-economic impacts, such as the landing of a living person on the moon or the cold war. More recently, the focus similarly remains on political and local issues; however, the news mass media now comes under criticism for over-emphasis on "non-news" and "gossip" such as celebrities' personal social issues, local issues of little merit, as well as biased sensationalism of political topics such as terrorism and the economy. The dominance of celebrity and social news, the blurring of the boundary between news and reality shows and other popular culture, and the advent of citizen journalism may suggest that the nature of ‘news’ and news values are evolving and that traditional models of the news process are now only partially relevant. Newsworthiness does not only depend on the topic, but also the presentation of the topic and the selection of information from that topic. Daily trends update

New ecology of news

“Everything we thought we once knew about journalism needs to be rethought in the Digital Age”, professor of Sociology and Communication Michael Schudson points out. Today the work of journalism can be done from anywhere and done well. It requires no more than a reporter and a laptop. In that way, journalistic authority seems to have become more individual- and less institution-based. But does the individual reporter always have to be an actual journalist? Or can journalistic work be done from anywhere and by anyone? These are questions that refers to the core of journalistic practice and the definition of “news” itself. As Schudson has given emphasis to, the answer is not easily found; “the ground journalists walk upon is shaking, and the experience for both those who work in the field and those on the outside studying it is dizzying”.

Schudson has identified the following six specific areas where the ecology of news in his opinion has changed: 1. The line between the reader and writer has blurred 2. The distinction among tweet, blog post, newspaper story, magazine article, and book as blurred 3. The line between professionals and amateurs has blurred, and a variety of “pro-am” relationships has emerged 4. The boundaries delineating for-profit, public, and non-profit media have blurred, and the cooperation across these models of financing has developed 5. Within commercial news organizations, the line between the news room and the business office has blurred 6. The line between old media and new media has blurred, practically beyond recognition

These alterations inevitably has fundamental ramifications for the contemporary ecology of news. “The boundaries of journalism, which just a few years ago seemed relatively clear, and permanent, have become less distinct, and this blurring, while potentially the foundation of progress even as it is the source of risk, has given rise to a new set of journalistic principles and practices”, Schudson puts it. It is indeed complex, but it seems to be the future.

See also

References

Further reading

Stephens, Mitchell. "The History of News - 3rd Ed" Oxford University Press, New York, 2007.

External links

Category:Television terminology

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}}

Veronica Campbell-Brown C.D (born 15 May 1982) is a track and field sprint athlete, competing internationally for Jamaica. A five-time Olympic medallist, she is the reigning Olympic 200 metres champion. At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she ran the 200 m in 21.74 seconds (the fastest time in a decade) and became the second woman in history to win two consecutive Olympic 200 m events, after Bärbel Wöckel of Germany did so at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics. Veronica Campbell-Brown is ranked the second fastest Jamaica woman over 60 meters, fourth fastest over 100 meters and third fastest fastest over 200 meters

Early life

Campbell was born to Cecil Campbell and Pamella Bailey in Trelawny, Jamaica on 15 May 1982. She has nine brothers and sisters and attended Vere Technical High School in Clarendon before pursuing higher education in the United States.

Junior career

In 1999, she won two gold medals the 100 m and 4 × 100 metres relay at the inaugural IAAF World Youth Championships. The following year, she became the first female to win the sprint double at the IAAF World Junior Championships. She took the 100 m in 11.12 s (the current championship record) and the 200 m in 22.87 s. At the 2000 Olympic Games, she ran the second leg on the silver medal winning 4 × 100 m relay team. Campbell was the only female athlete to win both the 100 m and 200 m sprints at the same World Youth Championships, until Jodie Williams of Great Britain did so in 2009.

College career

Campbell attended Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas, where she set several records and won many titles including four national junior college titles in the 60, 100 and 200 metres both indoors and outdoors. She set the current record for Barton County CC in the outdoor 100 m and 200 m. Campbell also excelled in academics earning an associates degree from Barton County in 2002 with a 3.8 grade average. She later attended the University of Arkansas where she stood out as a sprint star in a program dominated by long-distance runners.

Professional career

Campbell-Brown ran at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the 4×100 m relay along with Tayna Lawrence, Beverly McDonald, Merlene Frazer and sprint veteran and Olympic legend, Merlene Ottey. They finished second in the finals in a time of 42.13, behind neighbours, Bahamas which gave 18 year old Campbell-Brown her first Olympic medal.

At the 2004 Olympics, Campbell first placed third in the 100 m and two days later won the 200 m, beating out Allyson Felix of the United States. She later teamed up with Aleen Bailey, Tayna Lawrence, and Sherone Simpson to win the 4 × 100 m relay race.

In August 2005, Campbell won the silver medal in the 100 m at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics as well as another silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay (together with Daniele Browning, Aleen Bailey and Sherone Simpson).

At the 2007 World Championships, Campbell won three medals with a gold in the 100 m, a silver in the 200 m (second to Felix) and a silver in the 4 × 100 m relay.

At the 2008 Jamaican Olympic trials, she finished fourth in the 100 m, thereby missing the qualifying requirement to automatically make the Jamaican Olympic roster for that event. She clocked 10.88 s in the final, which is the second fastest time ever for a fourth place finish. She however bounced back to take the 200 m final in a personal best of 21.94 s. Failing to qualify for the 100 m, she only competed in the 200 m and the 4 × 100 m relay at the Olympic Games. At the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics, Veronica Campbell-Brown carried the Jamaican flag during the Athletes' Parade. She successfully defended her Olympic 200 m title in a new personal best time of 21.74 s. She competed at the 4 × 100 m relay together with Shelly-Ann Fraser, Sheri-Ann Brooks and Aleen Bailey. In the first round heats, Jamaica placed first in front of Russia, Germany and China. The Jamaican teams' time of 42.24 s was the first time overall out of sixteen participating nations. With this result, Jamaica qualified for the final, replacing Brooks and Bailey with Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart. Jamaica did not finish the race due to a mistake in the baton exchange.

At the end of the 2008 season, Campbell-Brown was selected the top 200 m runner in the world as well as the fourth best in the 100 m (following three other Jamaicans) by ''Track and Field News''. She also finished eighth overall in voting for the magazine's Woman of the Year.

She qualified for her third World Championships by winning the 200 m national title. She beat runners up Shelly Ann Fraser and Simone Facey with a time of 22.40 seconds in June 2009, although a toe injury had left her lacking full fitness. At the 2009 World Championships Campbell-Brown was fourth in the 100 m final behind teammates Fraser and Stewart. She then won her second World 200 m silver behind American Allyson Felix. She closed the season at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix, recording her fastest of the year (10.89) to take second behind Carmelita Jeter, who became the second fastest ever with 10.64 seconds. Although she was roundly beaten by Jeter, Campbell-Brown was the fourth fastest 100 m sprinter overall that season.

Personal life

In 2007, Campbell married Omar Brown, a fellow Jamaican sprinter and University of Arkansas alumnus. They currently live and train in Clermont, Florida. She was appointed as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in late 2009, and stated that she would use the role to promote gender equity in sport.

Achievements

Campbell-Brown's personal best of 10.76 s in the 100 m ranks her all-time top ten in the world (9th place) and fourth among Jamaican women. Her 200 m best (21.74 s) ranks her in the all-time top ten in the world. This time is the third best among Jamaican women. It is the fastest time of the 21st Century, and the fastest since Marion Jones's 21.62 s in Johannesburg 1998.

Personal bests

!Event	!Time (seconds)	!Venue	!Date	!Remarks
60 metres	7.00	Doha, Qatar	14 March 2010
	9.91+	Ostrava, Czech Republic	31 May 2011
100 metres	10.76	Ostrava, Czech Republic	31 May 2011
200 metres	21.74	Beijing, China	21 August 2008
400 metres	52.24	Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States	22 January, 2005

+ = en route to a longer distance

All information from IAAF Profile

----

Competition record

!Year	!Tournament	!Venue	!Event	!Place	!Result
1998		Annecy, France	100 m		12.04
1999		Bydgoszcz, Poland	100 m		11.49
	rowspan=2		100 m		11.12
200 m		22.87
	rowspan=2		100 m		11.00
2002 Commonwealth Games>Commonwealth Games	4 x 100m		42.73
	rowspan=2		100 m		10.97
200 m		22.05
rowspan=2		100 m		10.91
200 m		22.64
	rowspan=2		100 m		10.95
200 m		22.38
rowspan=2		100 m		10.92
200 m		22.37
2006		Melbourne, Australia	200 m		22.72A
	rowspan=2		100 m		11.01
200 m		22.34
2008		Beijing, China	200 m		21.74
	rowspan=2		100 m		10.95
200 m		22.35
2010	2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships	Doha, Qatar	60 m		7.00

References

External links

IAAF "Focus on Athletes" article

Veronica Campbell Photos

Allyson Felix|title=Women's 200 m Best Year Performance|years=2004|after= Allyson Felix}}

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:Jamaican sprinters Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Jamaica Category:Olympic athletes of Jamaica Category:Olympic gold medalists for Jamaica Category:Olympic silver medalists for Jamaica Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Jamaica Category:University of Arkansas alumni Category:Arkansas Razorbacks track and field athletes Category:People from Trelawny Parish Category:Olympic medalists in athletics (track and field)

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Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Monique van der Vorst
fullname	Monique van der Vorst
birth date	November 20, 1984
medaltemplates	}}

| updated = December 24, 2010 }}

Monique van der Vorst (born November 20, 1984) is a Dutch cyclist. She is a two-time silver medal winner at the Paralympic Games.

After having a leg operation at the age of 13, her legs became paralyzed.

In March 2010, when she was 25 years old, Van der Vorst had an accident, where she was rammed by another cyclist while riding her hand cycle. Some months after this incident, she regained feeling in both her legs. She has, after this, trained herself into walking.

References

External links

Official website

Category:Living people Category:Dutch cyclists Category:Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Category:Paralympic cyclists of the Netherlands Category:Paralympic silver medalists for the Netherlands Category:1984 births

de:Monique van der Vorst fr:Monique van der Vorst it:Monique van der Vorst nl:Monique van der Vorst pl:Monique van der Vorst

Coordinates	33°55′31″N18°25′26″N
name	Rich Rodriguez
sport	Football
birth date	May 24, 1963
birth place	Chicago, Illinois
player years	1981–1984
player teams	West Virginia
player positions	Defensive back
coach years	198519861987198819891990–19961997–19981999–20002001–20072008–2010
coach teams	West Virginia (SA)Salem (DB/ST)Salem (AHC/DC)SalemWest Virginia (OLB)Glenville StateTulane (OC)Clemson (OC)West VirginiaMichigan
overall record	120–84–2
bowl record	2–4
cfbdwid	2011
championships	4 WVIAC (1993–1996)4 Big East (2003–2005, 2007)
awards	2x Big East Coach of the Year (2003, 2005)2x WVIAC Coach of the Year (1993, 1994)NAIA Coach of the Year (1993)W.Va. State College Coach of the Year (1993, 2002)
cfbhof id	}}

Richard A. "Rich" Rodriguez (born May 24, 1963), also known as Rich Rod, is an analyst for CBS Sports, a former American football coach, and a former football player. He has served as the head coach at Salem University (1988), Glenville State College (1990–1996), West Virginia University (2001–2007), and the University of Michigan (2008–2010). His career college football coaching record stands at 120–84–2.

Playing career

A native of Grant Town, West Virginia, Rodriguez graduated from North Marion High School in 1981 where he played four sports and was an all-state football and basketball player. After high school, Rodriguez attended West Virginia University. Playing as a defensive back, Rodriguez recorded 54 career tackles over three seasons.

Early coaching career

WVU and Salem

During the 1985–1986 season, Rodriguez served as a student assistant under head coach Don Nehlen and graduated with a Physical Education degree. In 1986, he moved to what was then Salem College (now Salem International University) where he served as special teams coordinator and secondary coach. In 1987, he became Salem’s defensive coordinator and in 1988 took over as head coach. At 25 years old, he was the youngest college head coach in the country. He was 2–8 in his first season as head coach, after which the college announced it was dropping its football program.

In 1989, he returned to West Virginia University as a volunteer assistant.

Glenville State, Tulane, and Clemson

After Rodriguez's return to WVU as a volunteer coach with the outside linebackers for the 1989 football season, he left again to take over as head coach at Glenville State College. During his stay from 1990 to 1996, the team earned three consecutive West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and competed in the 1993 NAIA national championship. His first season, 1990, he led the team to a 1–7-–record. In 1991, Glenville improved to 4–5–1. 1992 showed a 6–4 season; however in 1993, Rich Rodriguez led Glenville to a 10–3 record and the WVIAC Championship and NAIA runner-up. The next two years, 1994 and 1995, Glenville finished as WVIAC Co-Champions. In Rodriguez's final season at Glenville, 1996, he led them to a Co-Championship once again. While at Glenville, Rodriguez compiled a record of 43–28–2 and was named WVIAC Coach of the Year in 1993 and 1994, NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1993, and West Virginia State College Coach of the Year in 1993 by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. Glenville State's four championships under Rodriguez were their first since 1959 while his players' set five national career records for Division II. He also coached three players who earned WVIAC Player of the Year honors.

Rodriguez left Glenville State at the end of the 1996 season to serve as assistant coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterback coach for Tulane University from 1997 to 1998, under head coach Tommy Bowden. Rodriguez was part of Tulane's success, including their 12–0 season in Rodriguez's last season at Tulane, mainly for his spread offense with quarterback Shaun King. When Bowden was hired as the head coach at Clemson University, he retained Rodriguez on his staff. Rodriguez served as the offensive coordinator and associate head coach until the end of the 2000 season, traveling to a Peach Bowl and Gator Bowl.

West Virginia

On November 26, 2000, WVU's athletic department announced that Rodriguez would again return to West Virginia, this time as head coach to replace the retiring legend Don Nehlen. Rodriguez's first season at West Virginia, 2001, was a disappointing 3–8 season. However, Rodriguez's turn-around of the 2002 team is the greatest turn-around in Big East history with a 9–4 record, Big East runner-up finish, back-to-back road wins against ranked Virginia Tech and Pitt, and a Continental Tire Bowl berth, where they lost to ACC runner-up and border rival Virginia. The Mountaineers finished second in the nation rushing with 283 yards per game and fourth in turnover margin. In 2003, the Mountaineers started the season 1–4, and after losing to #2 Miami 22–20, the Mountaineers posted a 6–1 Big East record and tied for the Big East championship with Miami, earning a Gator Bowl berth. That season, the Mountaineers replaced 22 seniors, eleven of which were starters. In 2004, the Mountaineers posted a 8–4 record with a talented team of seniors and juniors, but were ranked as high as sixth during the regular season.

Following the 2002 season, Rodriguez was awarded the Big East Coach of the Year by Sporting News and state college coach of the year for all sports by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association. He also received the 2003 Frank Loria Award from the West Virginia chapter of the National Football Foundation, and also earned Big East Coach of the Year that season. In 2005, he was offered to join the AFCA Board of Directors, and that same season was again given Big East Coach of the Year honors. In 2005, Rodriguez and the Mountaineers won the Big East title with freshman tandem Steve Slaton and Patrick White, thus claiming the conference's automatic berth in the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), where they defeated the Georgia Bulldogs in the Nokia Sugar Bowl and a final Associated Press ranking of fifth, tying the highest in school history (other in 1988).

Repeating off of their 2005 success, West Virginia posted another 11-win season, which was the first consecutive 10-win seasons in school history. The Mountaineers defeated Georgia Tech, 38-35, in the Gator Bowl and finished 10th in the final polls. Rodriguez also had two consensus All-Americans, running back Steve Slaton and center Dan Mozes (who also won the Rimington Trophy as the nation's best center).

On December 7, 2006, Rodriguez received an offer from the University of Alabama to be the next Alabama Crimson Tide head coach. Despite reports that he had agreed in principle to coach at Alabama, which Rodriguez described as totally incorrect, on December 8, 2006, Rodriguez announced he would remain as head coach at West Virginia.

The Mountaineers started the 2007 season ranked #3 in the AP Poll and #6 in the Coaches' Poll. They were #5 in the nation, before losing to #18 South Florida for the second consecutive time. South Florida eventually moved to #2, before dropping out of the Top 25 after losses (though USF would end the regular season ranked at #21). West Virginia dropped to #12 and #13 in the AP and Coaches' poll, respectively, before rebounding with wins against Syracuse, Mississippi State, #25 Rutgers, Louisville, and #21 Cincinnati. The Mountaineers eventually defeated #20 Connecticut to clinch the Big East Championship and move to #2 in the BCS standings and #1 in the Coaches' poll, both the highest position ever for a Mountaineer football team. WVU's regular season ended at home with a crushing loss in the Backyard Brawl against Pittsburgh. After the departure of Rodriguez, the Mountaineers went on to defeat University of Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl under interim head coach Bill Stewart.

Departure from West Virginia

On December 16, 2007, Rodriguez informed players at West Virginia that he was leaving to succeed Lloyd Carr as the University of Michigan head football coach. Rodriguez's decision came on the heels of a loss to the unranked Pittsburgh Panthers, which eliminated WVU from national championship contention. Rodriguez's original resignation letter listed January 3, 2008 as his resignation date, but he subsequently made it clear that he would not be coaching WVU in its January 2 appearance in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl versus Oklahoma. On December 18, 2007, Rodriguez informed the university that his resignation would instead be effective at midnight that night and was replaced by his former assistant coach Bill Stewart, who was selected as head coach after the Mountaineers won the Fiesta Bowl.

The announcement of his departure came just four months after Rodriguez last renegotiated his contract with West Virginia, and was made despite his stated long-term commitment to the Mountaineers. The contract included a $4 million buyout if he left WVU within one year of the August 2007 signing date. It has since been speculated that Rodriguez's departure was triggered by conflicts with the new president of WVU, Michael Garrison.

Some insight into the discontent between Rodriguez and WVU is evidenced in a compendium of emails that were released to the Associated Press on January 23, 2008. An Associated Press story indicated that Rodriguez's agent Mike Brown was threatening to take his client elsewhere early in the 2007 season.

On December 27, 2007, West Virginia University filed a motion for declaratory judgment in Monongalia County Circuit Court, asking the court to find that Rodriguez's contract with the University was valid, that WVU had not breached that contract, and that Rodriguez had breached it. Subsequently, on January 18, 2008, WVU added a count of breach of contract after Rodriguez allegedly failed to pay the first installment of the $4 million liquidated damages clause (often referred to as a "buyout clause" by the media) when due.

On July 9, 2008 Rodriguez and WVU agreed to settle the lawsuit. The terms of the settlement stated that the University of Michigan would pay $2.5 million of the settlement. Rodriguez is required to pay WVU the remaining $1.5 million in three installments of $500,000 each, spread over three years starting in January, 2010.

Michigan

Rodriguez was introduced by Michigan as its new coach at a news conference held on December 17, 2007 at the Junge Family Champions Center on the University of Michigan campus. After arriving at Michigan, Rodriguez installed an entirely new staff, bringing several members of his West Virginia staff with him, including Tony Gibson and offensive coordinator Calvin Magee. Fred Jackson, the running backs coach, was the only coaching holdover from Lloyd Carr's staff. Rodriguez also changed the strength and conditioning facilities, completed a top ten incoming recruiting class in 2008, which was recruited mainly by Carr and his staff, and installed his own recruiting to serve his spread offense. Equipment manager Jon Falk also stayed with the Michigan football program as another holdover from previous coaching staffs dating back to Bo Schembechler.

Rodriguez began his Michigan coaching career on August 30, 2008 with a 25-23 loss to Utah. His 2008 team finished with a record of 3–9, the worst season in school history. Michigan's losing record also assured that the team would not play in a post-season bowl game for the first time in 33 years, the longest such streak in college football up to that point. One of the few high points of the season came on September 27 when Michigan made the second-largest comeback in program history to defeat #9 Wisconsin 27-25 after trailing 19-0 late in the third quarter. That contest was also the 500th game played in Michigan Stadium.

Players leaving and criticism

Several Michigan players have transferred and subsequently criticized Rodriguez. Justin Boren transferred from the program to rival Ohio State citing offensive behavior and a "lack of family values" from the coaching staff. Others have supported the assertion about a lack of family values, including ''Detroit Free Press'' writer Michael Rosenberg, who stated "Rodriguez's staff uses some of the foulest, most degrading language imaginable. I know coaches curse, and I'm no prude, but this goes way beyond a few dirty words. He belittles his players. This is a big part of why offensive lineman Justin Boren left the team. He felt his dignity was at stake." Boren became first team all Big Ten at Ohio State University in the 2009 season. Former Michigan player Kurt Wermers claimed to not get along with coaches after transferring following the 2008 season.

NCAA rule violations

Prior to the 2009 season several anonymous players told the ''Detroit Free Press'' that Rodriguez and his coaching staff had habitually violated NCAA rules. The offenses included attending unofficial scrimmages and requiring players to work out more hours than NCAA rules permit for the off-season. Rodriguez denied the allegations. On October 27, 2009, the NCAA sent a Notice of Inquiry to the University of Michigan stating the NCAA found reasonably reliable information indicating NCAA rule violations. Following the Notice, the investigation into potential major violations continued. On November 16, 2009, the University of Michigan Auditors looking into the NCAA violations discovered that Rich Rodriguez and the University of Michigan Football coaching staff failed to file monthly logs that track how much players work out and practice.

Then on February 22, 2010, the NCAA formally accused Michigan of five "major rules violations" after finding that the team and its coaching staff failed to comply with practice time rules under coach Rich Rodriguez, and used several graduate assistants in coaching position in contravention of NCAA regulations on the limits of the number of coaches. This marked the first time that major violations have been alleged against the Michigan football program. All of the violations dated from January 2008 forward, which coincided with Rodriguez's arrival at Michigan. The University of Michigan has acknowledged that it committed four major violations in its football program. This resulted in U-M self-imposing sanctions which including cutting practice time and either disciplining or terminating staff, as well as two years probation. The NCAA agreed with Michigan's sanctions but added an extra year of probation.

Eventual departure

Despite the setbacks of his inaugural season, Rodriguez compiled a recruiting class for the 2009 season which was ranked eighth nationally by Rivals.com. Tom Dienhart, writing for ''Sports Illustrated'', named Rodriguez the second best football coach in the Big Ten Conference behind only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz and ahead of more tenured coaches such as Penn State's Joe Paterno and Ohio State's Jim Tressel.

Under Rodriguez, the Wolverines opened the 2009 season with a 31–7 win against Western Michigan followed by wins over rival Notre Dame and Eastern Michigan. Following these three victories, two over weak mid-major opponents, Michigan opened its Big Ten schedule with a controversial 36-33 win against Indiana. Michigan finished the season with a 5–7 (1–7 in the Big Ten) record after road losses to Michigan State, and the Iowa Hawkeyes and a 25 point home loss to Penn State followed by a 25 point loss to the University of Illinois football team and a 38–36 loss at home to Purdue. Rodriguez ended the 2009 season with a 21–10 loss to rival Ohio State. This loss eliminated the Wolverines from bowl competition for the second time in two years.

The 2010 season got off to a similar start as the 2009 campaign, with the Wolverines recording victories through their first five games to begin the season, one more consecutive victory than the previous year. The Wolverines started the season off by notching a win over Connecticut, who eventually won a share of the Big East title and went on to represent the conference in a BCS bowl. By week three, the team earned a spot in the AP Top 25 at #20 and USA Today Poll at #22. Their highest AP ranking, #18, came before recording their first loss of the season against 17-ranked in-state foe and eventual Big Ten champion Michigan State (part of a three-way tie). The team finished Big Ten play with a 3-5 record, losing the last regular season game against arch rival Ohio State, 37-7, and putting further criticism on Rodriguez for failing to restore competitiveness to one of college football's greatest rivalries. Still, Rodriguez and Michigan had done enough to earn a 7-5 record and for the first time since joining Michigan, were bowl eligible. This season included such highlights as a spectacular 67-65 comeback win over Illinois in triple overtime on Nov. 6 and a special talent in sophomore quarterback Denard Robinson who in 12 games passed for 2,316 yards and rushed for 1,643 yards while accounting for 30 rushing and passing touchdowns. Rodriguez, in his third season, led Michigan to its first New Year's Day bowl since the 2007 season when Michigan accepted a bid to play in the Gator Bowl. Michigan's 38-point loss to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl was the worst bowl loss in school history.

Due to the team's second season in a row which started off with promising results, and another defeat to Ohio State, Rodriguez finished the regular season campaign amidst speculation he may not keep his head coaching position at Michigan. Rumors about Rodriguez's ousting heated up again after the season, when Stanford Cardinal head coach and former Michigan quarterback, Jim Harbaugh, did not attend an anniversary dinner recognizing the 1985 Michigan team. Harbaugh had been rumored to replace Rodriguez in seasons past.

At Michigan, Rodriguez has suffered a 20 point home loss to a Big Ten opponent in all three seasons he has coached (most recently against Wisconsin, a 48–28 loss). In those two years, Rodriguez had no wins in October against Football Bowl Subdivision teams and did not record a win against such an opponent until the 2010 season, recording a road victory over Indiana. Through the 2010 season, Rodriguez has a 2–7 record against the Wolverines' three regular season rivals: Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Michigan State, recording victories against Notre Dame in the 2009 and 2010 campaigns.

Rodriguez was rumored to be let go as Michigan coach on January 4, 2011. The University of Michigan initially denied this, but the following day, athletic director David Brandon announced that Rodriguez had been dismissed. Rodriguez has the lowest winning percentage (.405) of any coach in Michigan football's history and never beat Michigan's two chief rivals, Ohio State University and Michigan State University.

Rodriguez is currently working as an analyst for CBS Sports for the 2011 season. He had previously participated in CBS's 2011 Signing Day Coverage. When asked if he would ever return to coaching, Rodriguez said, "I'm open to another opportunity, but we'll see. Here, that window looks like it's closed, but if something comes open after this season, and it seems like it may be a good opportunity for me and someone is interested, I'm sure I'll look into it."

Spread option

Rodriguez is considered a pioneer of a no huddle, run-oriented version of the spread offense, although a pass-first version was already being implemented by others. He first developed this offensive approach at Glenville State and refined it during his stops at Tulane with Shaun King, at Clemson with Woodrow Dantzler, and at West Virginia most notably with dual-threat quarterback Pat White. This strategy features frequent use of the shotgun formation. Rodriguez is also credited for inventing the zone read play run out of the shotgun formation.

Breakdown of run versus pass

Tulane

1997: 366 passes vs. 424 runs (54% run)

1998: 375 passes vs. 518 runs (58% run)

Clemson

1999: 422 passes vs. 486 runs (54% run)

West Virginia

2001: 355 passes vs. 474 runs (57% run)

2002: 279 passes vs. 714 runs (72% run)

2003: 252 passes vs. 600 runs (70% run)

2004: 259 passes vs. 589 runs (69% run)

2005: 193 passes vs. 625 runs (76% run)

2006: 233 passes vs. 590 runs (72% run)

2007: 265 passes vs. 628 runs (70% run)

Michigan

2008: 338 passes vs. 453 runs (57% run)

2009: 329 passes vs. 494 runs (60% run)

2010: 243 passes vs. 556 runs (70% run)

Family

Rodriguez and his wife, Rita, have two children, Raquel and Rhett.

Head coaching record

*Departed West Virginia for Michigan before the Fiesta Bowl

See also

List of Michigan Wolverines head football coaches

References

External links

Rodriguez bio at MGoBlue.com

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