RichRod on beauty app rating him as ASUN's most handsome: 'they're right on the mark'
Mar. 4—JACKSONVILLE — Jacksonville State's Rich Rodriguez wasn't the ASUN Conference's coach of the year in the school's final season in the league, but gambling.com's research named the 59-year-old as the league's most handsome football coach.
The website used portraits from the schools' official athletics websites and measured them through popular beauty measurement app Golden Ratio Face to determine who's the most handsome.
"I reminded Miss Rita, my wife, about that, and she got a big kick out of that," Rodriguez said after seeing The Anniston Star's story about the research. "My daughter, Raquel, wants to send that out national so everyone can give her dad some props. I don't know the measuring things for that, but whoever measured it, they're right on the mark."
Rodriguez finished first with a 7.96 beauty score. Kennesaw State's Brian Bohannon (7.54) was second, followed by Eastern Kentucky's Walt Wells (7.17), North Alabama's Brent Dearmon (7.06), Central Arkansas' Nathan Brown (6.12) and Austin Peay's Scotty Walden (5.93).
In Rodriguez's first season at JSU, the Gamecocks posted a 9-2 record this past fall, including 5-0 in the ASUN. Their average margin of victory in league games was 19 points. No other ASUN team did better than 3-2 in the league.
A week into the season, the ASUN declared JSU ineligible for the conference championship, because the school was transitioning from the Football Championship Subdivision to the Football Bowl Subdivision. This past season was JSU's last as an FCS school. The Gamecocks will join Conference USA this summer.
Despite the ASUN's decision, JSU recognized the team with a trophy and T-shirts for finishing first in the standings. Championship rings are planned as well. Rodriguez entered the season with eight conference championships and one division championship.
Wells was named the league's coach of the year, following an amazing year in which he returned to the sideline after suffering a heart attack only five days before the season began. EKU finished 7-5.
Gambling.com also calculated the most handsome coaches for men's basketball, baseball and men's golf.
JSU golf coach Michael Brice was 12th among 14 coaches with a 5.12 beauty score. Bellarmine's Bruce Brown was first at 7.65.
JSU baseball coach Jim Case was 13th out of 14 with a 5.44 beauty score. Florida Gulf Coast's Dave Tollett was first at 8.09.
JSU's Ray Harper landed sixth among the 14 ASUN men's basketball coaches at 7.27. Stetson's Donnie Jones was first at 8.33.
Senior Editor Mark Edwards: 256-235-3570. On Twitter: @MarkSportsStar.
