Top 15 Coaching Duos in College Sports
By Logan Shaw
Dec 31, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats head coach Rich Rodriguez reacts in the second quarter against the Boise State Broncos in the 2014 Fiesta Bowl at Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
After much success at Glenville State and West Virginia, Rich Rodriguez left for Michigan, and it all went downhill from there.
Once upon a time, Rodriguez was a good coach, and he won a lot of games in the state of West Virginia. The end. Unfortunately, for Michigan fans, West Virginia was the only state he could win in, as he was fired in January of 2011 from Michigan.
Rodriguez then went on to accept the head coaching position at Arizona a year later, and since then, he’s had a little more success than he did at Michigan.
Upon arrival, Rodriguez won two straight bowl games, and in his third season, last year, his Wildcats made it to the Pac-12 Championship game. His Wildcats also made an appearance in the Fiesta Bowl, where they lost a close game to Boise State.
Unlike Rodriguez, Sean Miller has always been successful. Miller came to Arizona in 2009 from Xavier, where he experienced a ton of success. Miller’s five-year tenure at Xavier was very successful, as his Musketeers made four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, making it to the Elite Eight in 2008.
Miller controversially took the head coach position at Arizona in 2009, and was still successful, even on the west coast. His first season in Tuscon wasn’t great, as they finished with a 16-15 record, but he quickly turned the Wildcats around in year two with an appearance in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Miller’s Wildcats are one of the hottest teams in college basketball now; they have only lost nine games in the past two seasons, combined. Arizona has made it two straight Elite Eights, and are hoping to go further in the very near future.
Next: No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners