Rich Rodriguez Names Dusty Rutledge as the Chief of Staff

West Virginia University head coach Rich Rodriguez announces Dusty Rutledge as the chief of staff of the football program

West Virginia University football. / Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Monday afternoon, West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez announced Dusty Rutledge as the chief of staff of the Mountaineer football program.

At West Virginia, Rutledge will implement strategic planning and staffing for the football office and oversee the areas of recruiting, operations, scouting and office administrative staff. He will also serve as one of football’s liaisons to various units in the Athletics Department including senior administration, marketing, digital media, development, communications, creative and student-athlete enhancement.

Additionally, Rutledge will direct the program’s student employment program, provide budgetary discretion and assist Rodriguez and staff in promoting the brand of West Virginia football.

Rutledge comes to West Virginia from Jacksonville State, where he served as chief of staff for Rodriguez since 2021. Rutledge came to JSU from Louisiana-Monroe, where he also held the same position.

He has contributed to the growth and success of several collegiate programs during his long and distinguished career with stops at Ole Miss, Arizona, Michigan and a previous seven-year stint at West Virginia from 2001-07.

In between football positions, he spent time as facility manager and director of sales of Barwis Training Methods, which is a holistic athletic and neurological training facility in Michigan. Additionally, he worked with Indiana football from 1997-2000 and has vast experience coaching not only high school football, but at different levels of college football.

The ties between Rutledge and Rodriguez go back more than 35 years. Rutledge was the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator under Rodriguez for three seasons at Division II Glenville State (1994-96), and was a part of the Pioneers’ three West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) titles.

Originally from Rockford, Ohio, Rutledge graduated from Fairmont State in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree and coached the offensive line for the Fighting Falcons from 1988-93. In three of his years at Fairmont, he also played and was a member of the active roster. To this day, he remains one of college football’s last player-coaches.

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