Rodriguez

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez turned down Alabama on Friday, telling his players that he'll be back for his sixth season with the Mountaineers.

Loud applause could be heard from inside the Milan Puskar Center at Mountaineer Field after Rodriguez told his team he would be staying at his alma mater.

"Obviously I'm very excited to stay here and I plan on being here a long time," Rodriguez said later at a news conference. "We've done some pretty good things over the last five years or so. We're not done yet. We're going to continue to grow."

Rodriguez will receive a two-year contract extension through the 2014 season from West Virginia. Other details of the deal were not immediately released.

"There weren't many reasons not to go. It's all about the reasons for staying," Rodriguez said. "I'm biased, this is my school. I think it's a great place to raise a family. We've always had a great athletic tradition."

Alabama officials offered the job to Rodriguez on Thursday morning, but the answer didn't come until more than 24 hours later. Alabama reportedly offered Rodriguez a $12 million, six-year contract.

"I fully respect his decision and wish him the best," Alabama athletic director Mal Moore said in a statement. "I want to remind everyone of what I said at the outset of this process: my only objective is to get the best person available to lead the Alabama football program.

"I remain determined to bring to our program a proven head coach with impressive credentials."

Stephen P. Goodwin, chairman of the WVU Board of Governors, said the university wasn't trying to compete with Alabama.

"We tried to make Rich the best offer WVU could make to keep him continuing on as a football coach. We didn't get into a bidding match. We couldn't have won that war," he said.

Efforts to keep Rodriguez reached as far as Ken Kendrick, a WVU graduate and managing general partner of baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks.

"I negotiate with athletes and their agents," Kendrick said. "Maybe I lent some help" getting a competitive offer on the table.