I am sure that I am one of many.

This is a man who is influenced the lives of many young men positively. Between him and his wife, they likely had thousands of sons. He was one of the gems Lord, let eternal light shine upon him.

Mike taught me how to be a better wrestler, in one week, at a camp in Wolverine, than I learned in three years from my coaches. He was a great person.

Back to 1961.  Sixty five years ago. I was a Sr. in C.C.'s second year of wrestling. On a cold, bleak, dark night, the  Catholic Central bus took us over to River Rouge for a match. It was C.C.'s all White team vs. River Rouge all Black team with a Mexican Coach (his family from Guanajuato).  It was  my very first moment seeing diversity and the melting pot of the American Dream. 

During the match, the Mexican Coach, Rodriguez, became a welcome, "flash point," a Super Hero who taught me (without knowing it) how to become my own man by jumping off the page  of the  Book  of Life... right there in that musty River Rouge Gym, 65 years ago. 

So freeing to be your own man, the only one who defines you. I used that lesson for 43 years in Courtrooms where I would give voice to the Common Man and the Forgotten Woman-- Rod's parents and my own parents.

Over the years when Rod needed a little advice on how to get back in the Book of Life before the gendarmes showed up, we would have conversations in Law, Civics and staying a step ahead of  the opposition and the repercussions of being (shall I say) a little to far out of the book and off the page. But, Rod and I always played to our strengths and it always worked  out well ... for may decades.

Congratulations. Great Life Rod. Oh ,so well lived. I'll catch up to you again when I get off Probation.

Fred Lauck
Friend of Rod 
From 1961-2026

My family has many fond memories of coach Rod and June.  I was lucky to be on the first state championship in 1969 and while failing to earn a finish coach Rod give up on me and networked to line up some scholarships for me but I had a burning desire to go to his alma mater and walk-on to prove myself.  My accomplishments were attributed to his leadership for the young men he mentored and coach Rod will forever be in my memories.

Go Blue and Go Shamrocks!!!
Condolences to a great coach and developer of men.

Mitch Mendrygal  co-captain of the 1969 State Wrestling  Championship Team

When Coach Rod pulled my brother Saad out of a school hallway in 1968 and told him he was going to be our heavyweight, none of us could have imagined just how profoundly that moment would change our lives forever.
Coach Rod became so much more than a wrestling coach to Saad, Waad, and me. He became a mentor and a guiding force who helped shape the people we would become. He influenced the direction of my life in ways that I will always be grateful for, and his impact on our family is something that words can hardly express.
Coach Rod invested countless hours molding us, not only into wrestlers, but into the men God intended us to be. Through his discipline, his wisdom, and, most importantly, his love, he taught us lessons that extended far beyond the wrestling mat. He taught us about character, faith, perseverance, and what it means to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
But what made Coach Rod truly special was that his love for us never ended when our wrestling careers came to an end. He loved my family as if we were his own. That love continued through the years and extended to my own children, who were blessed to experience the warmth and kindness of a man who had already given so much to our family.
Looking back, I realize how fortunate we were that Coach Rod walked into our lives when he did. One simple moment in a school hallway became the beginning of a lifelong bond that shaped our character, strengthened our faith, and gave us memories and relationships that we will cherish forever.
Coach Rod, thank you for believing in Saad, Waad, and me. Thank you for the countless hours, the sacrifices, and the unconditional love you gave our family. Thank you for being the kind of man whose influence reaches across generations and whose legacy lives on in the lives of the people you touched.
You will forever be a part of our family, and we will carry your memory in our hearts for the rest of our lives.
We love you, we will miss you, and we will never forget you

Your parents were both such class acts and wonderful human beings. It is a comfort to know they are together again now!

Dear Coach Rod:
I will never forget the day you sat with me in the 6565 gym bleachers and took time to explain to a young freshman what it  means to be a successful CC man and graduate. You emphasized hard work,  integrity, being coachable, and committing to walking away in four years a different, better person, than when I arrived. And sometimes when I fell short, you still believed in and stood by me but thankfully, not without verbal reprimand. ("I outta get you in this wrestling room and beep beep beep" 🙂)
The conversations and continuous accountability left a lasting mark on my life. Wisdom that remains in the repository of my heart. Some lessons transcend the moment they are taught, and become part of who we are and how we live. Your open, up front, bleacher side chat, and real time mentoring did exactly that.
Coach Rod, your influence extends far beyond the wrestling room, the classroom, or sports. You represent the very essence of Detroit Catholic Central leadership, character, and greatness. And you Coach are, and will always be, "Greatness" personified.

Its comforting to know you are in God's hands.

P.S.  Save me a game of handball.

Love and Honor,
Alan Mitchell
Class of '77

Consuelo Dent (Miranda)
Cousin 
Tucson,A

To the family of Mike Rodriquez I extend my deepest condolences for your father’s passing! I am so deeply sorry. I have nothing but very fond memories of Mike and always remember him when I would go visit his mother, who was my Aunt!  His mother and my grandmother were sisters. I am praying for his family!

From your Rodriguez Family in Buda, Texas, our sincere condolences. May God bring you all comfort and your parents everlasting peace.

Arthur Rayos

I first met Mike when I was a freshman or sophomore at Michigan and he was a senior at Ann Arbor high school.  Joe Bonnet a friend of mine from Bay Shore had joined me at Michigan.  We met Mike and got him interested in wrestling.  He joined the wrestling team a year or so later.  I was a couple years ahead of him in school.  Aside from showing him some holds, oddly enough we never wrestled -- even in practice.

Mike had a great career at Michigan and will always be remembered.
Joe Scandura

Was at 50th CC Reunion when we got the news of Mr Rodriguez’ passing. Half of the attendees had been taught to do doughnuts in his Drivers Ed class. Those of us who wrestled remembered what a great coach he was. I remembered what a great man he was. Driving us to be the best we could be. Tapping his heart mid-match to tell us to find more courage. Every pep talk he gave included a reference to food (a centerpiece of every dieting wrestler’s life). But my favorite memory was the impish glee he showed when something truly delighted him. A great man.

There are certain people who come into our lives and leave an impact so profound that it stays with us forever. Coach Rod was one of those people, and I know I speak for thousands of young men who had the privilege of knowing him.

Coach Rod was an extraordinary coach but an even greater man. He was a mentor, a teacher, a role model, and an inspiration who helped shape generations of young men. He taught us lessons about hard work, discipline, perseverance, accountability, and believing in ourselves—lessons that extended far beyond the wrestling mat and have remained with us throughout our lives. His greatest legacy cannot be measured simply by championships or victories, but by the character of the men he helped shape and the countless lives he changed along the way.

To the Rodriguez family, I hope you find comfort in knowing just how deeply he was loved, respected, and appreciated by so many. His impact was extraordinary, and his legacy will live on for generations.

Thank you, Coach Rod, for believing in us, challenging us, and giving so much of yourself to make us better. I am forever grateful and incredibly proud to have been one of your wrestlers.

Rest in peace, Coach. You made a difference in more lives than you could ever imagine.

It was my senior year.  We were wrestling in the State Championship tournament.  I was in a match against a very strong opponent with a recorded of 40-2.  I was down 8-2 with only 45 seconds left in the match.  I was getting set in the down position when I looked over to coach Rod who looked deep into my soul and pointed his finger to his heart and mouthed “Dig deep,…you got this!”   I remember at that point I felt my mind clear and body relax.   My opponent got on top and set.  The Ref blew the whistle to start and I threw this move I had practiced over and over, but never had great success with it in practice.   Coach previous said it doesn’t work in practice because your teammates know it’s coming, but when you use it in a match, it will.  Well, it did indeed.  I made the move which completely caught my opponent off guard and I pinned him before the match ended.  This victory helped  to add needed team points and continue our path in achieving our 1983 State Championship with J. Alcala & M. Raedle securing State Championship titles, me taking 3rd and Mike D taking 5th.   Coach Rod was considered a second father and mentor to me and many others.

He was the most inspirational man I have ever met. Many times, I have asked myself, what would Coach Rod do? A great man, a great legacy. He will NEVER be forgotten.

The true measure of a man is not just what he accomplishes, but the lives he influences and the legacy he leaves behind. Mike Rodriguez made a difference in so many lives, and his influence will continue to be felt for generations to come.

Rest in peace, Coach. Thank you for your friendship, your inspiration, and everything you gave to the sport of wrestling. You will be deeply missed, but never forgotten. My thoughts and prayers are with Mike’s family, friends, and everyone fortunate enough to have known him.

My condolences and thoughts and prayers to the wonderful Rodriguez family.  I had the utmost respect for Coach and always enjoyed his teaching at the Wildcat Wrestling Clinics at WMU in Kalamazoo.  He was knowledgeable as  anyone and taught life lessons that I never forgot.  Rest in peace.

My father, Frank Kline, was the wrestling coach at Ann Arbor High School in the late '40's. Mike was one of his first champion wrestlers. I was only 5 or 6, but I can still remember Mike picking up his opponent and putting down on the mat to pin him. He made it look effortless. It is nice to know what a positive influence Mike had on so many.

Coach Rod helped shape me as a young man to influence all of us at CC to be a loving Christian man! God bless his soul! A life well lived!!

I was a senior at CC in1970,  and after watching Coach Rod, bring his 1969 team to win the state championship, I decided I would like to try my hand at wrestling. I had no experience, but Coach Rod worked with me every day to teach me how to wrestle.  Not only did I have the privilege of having him as our coach, but I had the privilege of wrestling with some of the very greats in CC history. Rick Jones, John Ryan, Dave Dillworth, and Steve Rodriguez. I lost my first three matches, but Coach Rod kept encouraging me, working with me every day. I only lost one match the rest of the year until the state tournament. I lost in the finals of the state districts, the state regionals, and in the quarterfinals of the state tournament and ended my career 33-7-1.  We won the state championship again, and the discipline motivation and work ethic coach Rod taught me during my senior year has carried me the rest of my life. Thanks, Coach Rod. You’re in my heart forever.

Coach Rod was a great coach, mentor,, father figure, and friend. He was my hero. Rest in peace, my friend Martin J Moran and family

Coach Rods son Chris and I became great friends and roommates in college, which might seem weird as Chris was a wrestler and I was a swimmer.  One year Chris invited me to Thanksgiving dinner with his family, which they did about a week earlier so the entire family could be there.  Chris would come to my parents the following week lol.  I remember talking to Coach Rod for quite some time about how much swimming and wrestling were similar.  He blew my mind about how much knew about swimming and how much he admired our work ethic and mentioned that our sports were the toughest on the planet.  Besides sports what really struck me was how the family treated me as one of their own and how much love was in that home.  What a great man with a great family.  Rest in peace Coach Rod!!🙏🏼

Coach will rest in peace!  My condolences to the family and may you find comfort in this difficult time.

OBITUARY

Mike Rodriguez

March 30, 1932 – October 9, 2026

Harry J Will Funeral Homes

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services

Visitation

Rosary

Funeral In State

Funeral Mass