Rich Rodriguez 'awfully grateful' for support he's received during Michigan's 4-0 start

Rich Rodriguez may never be the most beloved Michigan coach, but with his team 4-0 heading into Saturday’s game at Michigan State, fans are starting to go public with their support.

A group called AllInForRichRod.org ran a full-page ad in Monday’s Detroit News expressing “gratitude for all that” Rodriguez has done and confidence he’s the right man for the job.

The four-paragraph letter, addressed to Rodriguez and Michigan’s coaching staff and paid for by private donations from “loyal alumni, fans and friends” of the university, ran in two text boxes set to a sky-blue background with a football underneath.

It concluded, in bold type, with, “We are all in for Michigan. Let it never be in doubt.”

“I’m awfully grateful of the support from the fans,” Rodriguez said Monday. “There’s been a tremendous amount of people that stand behind our program, but not just the last four weeks and not just because we won a few ballgames. I think it really has been since I’ve been here for almost two years.

“A lot of those folks have been very, very loyal, and I don’t necessarily think it’s being loyal to Rich Rodriguez, it’s being loyal to the University of Michigan and the football program and wanting us to do well and succeed. And that to me is what it’s all about, standing behind each other.”

The group's Web site also links to an online petition supporting Rodriguez and asks for donations to purchase two billboard ads to run in Ann Arbor the week of the Penn State game. The petition had 1,170 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.

Rodriguez began the season under intense scrutiny amid allegations of NCAA violations and with Michigan coming off a 3-9 season.

While a university investigation into potential practice-time violations remains ongoing, the Wolverines surpassed last year's win total with a 36-33 win over Indiana last week.

“I don’t know if it makes you sleep any better because you don’t sleep much anyway during the season as coaches, but it certainly has given a little bit of confidence for our young guys and our players,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve made progress, but we’re still a work in progress, if that makes sense.”

Dave Birkett covers University of Michigan football for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at 734-623-2552 or by e-mail at davidbirkett@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.