Email from RR to students

Submitted by blueblueblue on
Email sent this morning from RR to UM students: "Dear U-M Students, The 2009 football season will be here before we know it. Our players, coaches and support staff are working hard every day to make this an exciting and successful football season. We need your help and support in accomplishing our goals during this 130th season of Wolverine football! Everyone within our program is giving their all every day to make our TEAM better. I want each and every person associated with Michigan football to be 100 percent committed to making us the best that we can be. You are key part of our team and we need that same commitment from you. Are you up for the challenge? I know you are and we want to thank you for your support last season but we need an even stronger commitment this season. We want Michigan Stadium to be the toughest venue in the nation and we need you and the student section to lead the charge in the stands. I want to encourage you to purchase a season football ticket (see ordering instructions below) and to get your “All in for Michigan” season T-shirt. That is our theme for the 2009 season and we want you to be all in, too. You are an integral part of our program and we need you inside our circle. We need you to be ALL IN FOR MICHIGAN! Go Blue! Coach Rich Rodriguez Michigan Football" The shirts might be corny, but I like the meaning behind them. I like what RR is doing - I can't remember Carr ever sending an email to the student body (though he may have). I really believe that RR believes that the team will perform better if they feel the fans are especially behind them this year. RR is trying to put this stamp on the program, and I appreciate it. I might not agree with all he does, but I appreciate his effort.
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boats and hos

March 25th, 2009 at 6:50 AM ^

I would be surprised if he ever did spam the entire student body but I think this is a great idea by Coach Rod. Nice personal touch to get students involved. He emails, twitters and facebooks! All he needs to do now is do his own podcast and list his iPod playlist. I wonder if he sent out a 2nd email asking for anyone who can kick a football? :P

Joined: 03/07/2009

MGoPoints: 124

sedieso

March 25th, 2009 at 6:42 AM ^

Not to mention the potential impact it may have on recruiting, even though we aren't getting any top 100 players and are only offering wide receivers and running backs.

Joined: 09/12/2008

MGoPoints: 563

turbo cool

March 25th, 2009 at 6:49 AM ^

this is great by RR. i bet we start hearing how a lot of guys will say this is unnecessary and how we never had to do this in the past but i believe this is step in the right direction towards a stronger fanbase and louder stadium. good work RR.

Joined: 07/10/2008

MGoPoints: 977

Six Zero

March 25th, 2009 at 8:40 AM ^

I remember when Rich was leaving WVU, there was all this controversy about him wanting control over the team's web site, wanting to implement a premium membership program, etc. I think what all this means is that Rich is NOT afraid of technology, and is thinking of ways that The Interwebs can HELP his program. I have no problem whatever with that. Right about now, Coach Carr is not caring at all about any of this.

Joined: 09/05/2008

MGoPoints: 10549

brown

March 25th, 2009 at 10:00 AM ^

Rich Rod is very good at marketing. The "All in for michigan" thing is kinda corny, but if it gets people more into the games or michigan football in general, then yay.

Joined: 07/01/2008

MGoPoints: 90

mabrsu

March 25th, 2009 at 10:35 AM ^

I don't like what he said THAT much, but I love the idea behind it. I have always thought to myself that having a coach that stood up and said "Let's go! Get Loud!" could be the only way we get Michigan Stadium to be a good home field advantage. I am tired of hearing players on our team say "I like playing on the road more, because you can shut up the crowd in one play!" Wouldn't you rather it be, "I love playing at home, because you get to awaken the cheers of thousands with one play!"

Joined: 07/10/2008

MGoPoints: 1375

Yostal

March 25th, 2009 at 11:25 AM ^

I genuinely believe that Coach Rod embraces technology for the benefits it can provide for the program. Controlling the message, sense of connection, sense of immediacy. In following his Twitter, nothing groundbreaking has been revealed (as one might expected), but I also get the sense of a guy who loves his job, believes this thing can and will work, and is doing what he can to make it work. I also think he's trying to say, we know that we might be in a rough patch right now, both economically, and with the results on the field, but that does not change the fact that we're still Michigan and when the ship does get righted, and we hope it's this year, we want you, wait, no, NEED you to be a part of it. You're building community, not just being thankful for what inertia and tradition have brought you. I think there's a recruiting mindset here, we're very happy with what we got, but we're only as good as next year's class, and he's looking for ways to take that beyond the field. That and I think the marketing guys have had a folder full of ideas that they've just been dying to trot out and have now found not only a sympathetic ear, but an off-season where the coach can take some time to do this kind of thing.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 7697