It's official: Former Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez hired by Arizona
Previous story: Former Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez taking over at Arizona, reports say
It was only a matter of time before Rich Rodriguez landed on his feet.
Turns out, it took him less than a season before finding his way to the desert.
The former embattled Michigan football coach, who was fired by the Wolverines last winter shortly after completing a tumultuous three-year stint with a 52-14 loss to Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl, was hired by Arizona on Monday night.
Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne announced the hiring of Rich Rodriguez by distributing this photograph via Twitter.
There will be a 4 p.m. news conference Tuesday to introduce Rodriguez, who replaces Mike Stoops. He was fired on Oct. 10 after going 41-50 in seven-plus season, including a 1-5 start this year.
Defensive coordinator Tim Kish served as interim coach.
Rodriguez was 15-22 during three miserable seasons at Michigan — a tenure that included school records for worst season (3-9 in 2008) and worst defense (35.2 points allowed per game in 2010).
The Wolverines also were tagged with their first four NCAA violations in school history under Rodriguez's watch, which net three years of probation. Rodriguez was not found guilty of failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance, which is a major violation.
He was fired in early January by Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon and replaced by San Diego State's Brady Hoke, who is 9-2 in his first season in Ann Arbor.
Rodriguez has worked as an analyst for CBS Sports this year, which included an interview of Hoke during his first week on the job.
Michigan declined to comment on the hire.
Kyle Meinke covers Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at 734-623-2588, by email at kylemeinke@annarbor.com and followed on Twitter @kmeinke.
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