West Virginia head coach Rich Rodriguez couldn’t help but soak in the playing of “Country Roads,” following the conclusion of spring practice.

A clearly emotional Rodriguez, surrounded by players, fully embraced the feeling of being back home and what the song meant to not only him but so many people within the Mountain State.

That’s because Rodriguez, a Grant Town native, that grew up in West Virginia and then played for the Mountaineers under legendary coach Don Nehlen before coaching the program himself first as an assistant and two different stints as the head coach knows it all too well.

“I told the players afterwards. This is personal to me. This whole thing is. You know, played here, coached here a couple times,” he said. “And I think our guys understand that.”

It’s a tradition that’s become synonymous with wins in Morgantown in all major sports and one that Rodriguez himself brought to the school in 2002 during his first tenure atop the football program.

“Playing Country Roads, you know when that started, right?” he said.

The classic John Denver ballad has become known as the unofficial song of the program and the tradition has developed into one of the greatest in all of college football.

It’s one that connects people whether they’re from West Virginia, have lived in the state or even worked there. It’s played after a win and it’s something that has become a fabric of the gameday experience in Morgantown.

And now after time away at various stops in his coaching career, Rodriguez can embrace the song on the sidelines as the leader of the West Virginia football program once again. It’s also something his players, who come from all different backgrounds, can sing and be proud of as well.

“We only play it after a win, right? Yeah, so when you hear that song, it’s good memories. Nothing better than a winning locker room, and nothing better than a winning field playing Country Roads,” he said.

Now, the goal is to hear it a lot.