Rich Rodriguez’s three-season tenure as coach of the Michigan football team was a rocky one. The 15 wins he earned from 2008 to 2010 were the fewest for any Michigan coach in a three-year stretch since 1928. Digging into the Daily archives, we bring you a timeline of events under Rodriguez — a regime that brought one of the most prestigious programs in the nation to one of its lowest points.

INTRODUCED AS HEAD COACH IN 2007
The Rodriguez era began after the 2007 regular season when he was hired to succeed Lloyd Carr as the 18th head coach of college football’s winningest program. And the era began on a much more lighthearted note than it ended. His opening line to the media at a press conference on December 17, 2007: "Great crowd. Must be giving away free hats or something."

WEST VIRGINIA LAWSUIT AND SETTLEMENT, July 2008
Rodriguez left his post as head football coach at his alma mater, West Virginia, to come to Michigan — and with a little bad blood. The Mountaineers filed a law suit against Rodriguez for breach of contract. The dispute was ultimately settled in July 2008 when Michigan agreed to pay $2.5 million of his buyout. But the off-the-field trouble was only a sign of things to come.

MISERABLE 2008 SEASON
Michigan didn’t lose its 2008 opener to an FCS team like it did in 2007 under Carr, but Rodriguez’s first season was disastrous. The team posted a 3-9 record — the worst in the program' history — and nearly outdid its 2007 Appalachian State loss with a loss to Toledo on Oct. 11. The Michigan PA Announcer’s words, “Steven Threet, sacked on the play,” still resonate with Michigan fans everywhere.

NCAA ALLEGATIONS AND INVESTIGATION
As if the negative attention surrounding Rodriguez for the poor 2008 performance wasn’t enough, allegations surfaced in August 2009 that the team violated NCAA rules by exceeding practice time limits. Five days removed from the start of his second season, Rodriguez shed a few tears at the podium trying to offer an explanation.

WOLVERINES DROP SIXTH STRAIGHT GAME TO OHIO STATE, November 21, 2009
Michigan started its 2009 campaign 4-0 behind the efforts of freshman quarterback sensation Tate Forcier. But it lost seven of its last eight games, lost its sixth straight to Ohio State and remained without a bowl game destination for the second straight year.

MICHIGAN FOUND TO HAVE VIOLATED NCAA RULES
On Feb. 23rd, nearly six months after the allegations and ensuing investigation, the NCAA determined that Rodriguez and Michigan did violate NCAA rules. The players exceeded practice limits and overtrained. Although Rodriguez was not found to have "fostered an atmosphere of non-compliance" like first alleged, the program was hit with a three-year probation by the NCAA and reduced practice time.

A BRIGHT SPOT: 2010 WIN OVER FIGHTING IRISH
There were a few glimmers of hope — like the 2008 victory over Wisconsin and the 2009 win over Notre Dame. And some felt Michigan was a national power on the rise after another great start in 2010 (5-0), highlighted by the last-minute win in South Bend. This time, Heisman hopeful Denard Robinson spearheaded the Wolverine resurgence with a Michigan-record 502 yards against the Fighting Irish.

2011 GATOR BOWL ANNIHILATION, Jan. 1, 2011
As was the case in 2009, Michigan fell apart late in the 2010 season during the meat of its Big Ten schedule and finished 7-5. The icing on the cake was a 52-14 obliteration at the hands of Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Day. For many, Athletic Director David Brandon’s decision to move in a different direction seemed only a matter of time.

FIRED, Jan. 5, 2011
On Tuesday, the Michigan Athletic Department denied multiple reports that Rodriguez had been fired. But Brandon confirmed the news on Wednesday morning after a hectic 24 hours of rumors. Rodriguez and much of his coaching staff were sent packing after three tumultuous seasons.