While in college, Terry Bowden's wife Shyrl grew close to her cheerleading coach, Rita Setliff and the pair began a lifelong friendship.

Years later, here in Monroe, the two are reunited as their husbands will coach together on the new football staff for the Warhakws; Terry as head coach and Rita's husband as offensive coordinator.

Yes, Shryl's good friend from way back when would go on to marry another football coach by the name of Rich Rodriquez.

And you will have to excuse the group if they seem a bit like family and not just with maroon and gold tied on the bayou to hold them together.

Coach Rodriguez first met the Bowden family, long known as the first family of college football coaching, on the 1980s doing passing camps.

He would have some success at Divison II Salem college in West Virginia before being hired by Terry's brother Tommy to be his offensive coordinator at Tulane.

After a successful run there the pair went to Clemson together. A lot of his Division I career has seen Rodriguez coach with a Bowden by his side.

"Yes absolutely," Rodriquez said when asked if he feels like the Bowdens are part of his extended family. "They mean so much to me. I leaned a lot from (Hall of Fame Florida State Coach) Bobby Bowden." The elder Bowden saw the potential in Rodriquez all along.

"He would do those passing camps for us," Bobby said. "He is one of the best offensive minds. He was wearing them out down there at Salem. He is still wearing them out."

Now the coaches are making no bones about it, Rich is only in Monroe for the chance to coach his son, Arizona transfer Rhett Rodriquez, who will compete for the Warhawks at quarterback for the next two years. But it is a rare chance for ULM to have two coaches with multiple FBS bowl wins on the resume on the staff at the same time.

"Rich wanted to coach his son," Terry Bowden said. "In between where he is now and where he is going to be, only reason is he wanted the honor to coach his son like dad (Bobby) coached Tommy and I."