Morgantown, West Virginia – Bob Huggins’ annual Fish Fry, an event that benefits the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment Fund and Remember the Miners, will take place virtually next on February 26th.
This social event is an opportunity for West Virginia University to auction off sports memorabilia for cancer research. Huggins has called this event his “favorite night of the year.”
Among the list of attendees are Huggins’ companions Frank Martin, Chris Wallace, Brad Underwood, as well as former players Da’Sean Butler and Joe Alexander. Barstool Sports Founder Dave Portnoy and ESPN Analyst Fran Fraschilla will also be “in attendance”
MORE SPECIAL GUESTS ANNOUNCED‼️ for the @CoachHuggs Fish Fry @RealCoachRod, @coachunderwood, Chris Wallace, @FrankMartin_SC & Joe Alexander, in addition to @barstoolsports @franfraschilla @stoolpresidente. Don't miss this LIVE commentary, Feb. 26th! https://t.co/xUDxuuRuMe. pic.twitter.com/cY3HVsAq1L
— WVU Cancer Institute (@WVUCancer) February 20, 2021
One name that really stood out when the guest list was announced is former West Virginia Mountaineers football coach, Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who is currently the offensive coordinator at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, is one one of the most polarizing figures in West Virginia history.
When Rodriguez left Morgantown to become the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, many West Virginians thought his departure was cowardly and revealed that he didn’t care about his home state. Although it’s been nearly 15 years since that happened, he’s still extremely disliked among West Virginia fans.
Because of this, the fact that Huggins has invited him to be a special guest at his Fish Fry is somewhat surprising. Perhaps Huggins was desperate to find notable names to attend this event during a pandemic, or maybe Huggins simply wanted to extend an olive branch to a former Mountaineer, but Rodriguez appearing in an event in West Virginia is astonishing.
Rodriguez has apologized for the way he left and even admitted that it was mistake to leave West Virginia University, but there is tremendous animosity in the state towards him. Perhaps this is a first step in making amends. Will Rich Rodriguez finally be forgiven by the people of West Virginia?
To attend the Fish Fry virtually, visit the link here: Bob Huggins Fish Fry
Tickets are $120 per person and all attendees will receive a “Coach Huggins Gift Packet”, featuring a Fish Fry t-shirt, a Fish Fry sticker and a Remember the Miners magnet.
