Pat Fitzgerald
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Patrick William Fitzgerald Jr. – December 2nd, 1974. An American gridiron warrior and strategist, now at the helm of Michigan State University's football program. Before this chapter, Fitzgerald helmed Northwestern University from 2006, a tenure abruptly concluded in 2023 amidst the fallout of a hazing scandal.
His ascent to head coach at Northwestern was swift, following the tragic passing of Randy Walker before the 2006 season. At just 31, he became the youngest head football coach in the Big Ten Conference and NCAA Division I FBS. Fitzgerald etched his name as the longest-serving head coach in Northwestern football history. As a player, he was a formidable linebacker for Northwestern from 1993 to 1996, twice clinching the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award, accolades for the nation's top defensive player. His brilliance was further recognized with a Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1997, and he was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Fitzgerald’s playing days at Northwestern were legendary. A star linebacker for the Wildcats in the mid-90s, he was instrumental in their 10-1 regular season in 1995, propelling them to the 1996 Rose Bowl, their first bowl appearance since 1949. His eleven tackles were crucial in Northwestern's victory over #9 Notre Dame, their first win against the Irish since 1962. Facing #7 Michigan, Fitzgerald spearheaded the defense with 14 tackles, including two for losses, in a pivotal 19-13 win, the Wildcats' first over Michigan since 1959. At his peak in 1995, he averaged over 13 tackles per game, earning Consensus All-America honors. Though a broken leg against Iowa in the penultimate game of 1995 sidelined him for the Rose Bowl, he returned in 1996 to lead the Wildcats to a 9-3 record, another Big Ten Championship, and a second consecutive New Year's Day bowl appearance in the 1997 Citrus Bowl.
His collegiate accolades are staggering: twice named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time Consensus All-American. Fitzgerald achieved a historic feat, winning both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award in 1995 and again in 1996, the only player to achieve this double twice. In 1996, he also claimed the Jack Lambert Trophy as the nation's best linebacker. In 1997, the Big Ten Medal of Honor recognized his exceptional athletic and academic achievements.
Though undrafted in the 1997 NFL draft, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent, but was released after two preseason games. Fitzgerald holds the distinction of being the fifteenth Northwestern player or coach inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, honored in New York City in December 2008 and enshrined in South Bend, Indiana in July 2009.
Fitzgerald's coaching journey began after graduation, joining the University of Maryland staff in 1998 under Ron Vanderlinden. He then moved to the University of Colorado, reuniting with his former Northwestern coach, Gary Barnett. A stint at the University of Idaho preceded his return to Northwestern in 2001, where he served as linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator until his promotion to head coach in June 2006, following Randy Walker's unexpected death.
The Wildcats faced challenges in Fitzgerald's inaugural season, finishing 4-8 overall and 2-6 in the Big Ten. However, they improved to 6-6 the following year, and in 2008, posted a 9-3 regular season record (5-3 in conference play) and earned a berth in the Alamo Bowl. That season, Fitzgerald was recognized as the Big Ten Coach of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus.
The 2009 season delivered a landmark victory, a 17-10 win over fourth-ranked Iowa, the highest-ranked opponent Fitzgerald had ever defeated. Two weeks later, they upset #14 Wisconsin. The Wildcats concluded the '09 season at the 2010 Outback Bowl, where quarterback Mike Kafka set school and all-bowl records with 47 completions on 78 attempts for 532 passing yards. They narrowly lost 38-35 in overtime to Auburn. In 2011, the Wildcats secured a dramatic 28-27 victory over #9 Nebraska in Lincoln, with backup quarterback Kain Colter leading the charge in the second half.
By 2012, Fitzgerald became the second coach in school history to lead two nine-win teams. Northwestern played in their third New Year's Day bowl game under Fitzgerald, the 2013 Gator Bowl, where they achieved their first bowl victory in sixty-four years, defeating Mississippi State 34-20. The '12 team finished 10-3, tying the 1995 and 1903 teams for the most wins in school history. This Gator Bowl win also marked Fitzgerald's 50th as head coach, surpassing Pappy Waldorf as Northwestern's winningest coach.
Despite a strong 10-3 finish and a Gator Bowl appearance the previous year, the 2013 Northwestern team struggled to a 5-7 record, missing a bowl game. The season began with a four-game winning streak, but a seven-game losing skid followed. College GameDay was present for the October 5th matchup against #4 Ohio State. The Wildcats ended on a positive note with a road win against Illinois.
The 2014 season started with an 0-2 record, including a loss to Northern Illinois, before a three-game winning streak. After consecutive blowout losses to #19 Nebraska and Iowa, Northwestern fell to Michigan at home. In their next contest, they stunned Notre Dame with a 43-40 victory. Following a win against Purdue, they faced Illinois for a chance at bowl eligibility. However, with quarterback Siemian sidelined with a season-ending injury during the Purdue game, the Wildcats lost 47-33.
Following two consecutive losing seasons, a first in his Northwestern tenure, Fitzgerald faced an uncertain 2015 campaign. The team had to replace Siemian, turning to redshirt freshman Clayton Thorson, with Jackson named the starting running back. In the season opener, the Wildcats defeated #21 Stanford 16-6. They then embarked on a five-game winning streak, climbing to #13 in the nation, before a 38-0 loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor. The season concluded with a 45-6 defeat to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.
In 2016, the Wildcats finished with a 7-6 record.
The 2017 season saw Fitzgerald's Wildcats achieve a 10-3 record. Two of their three losses came against top-15 teams, Wisconsin and Ohio State. The season was marked by multiple overtime victories, including a thrilling 3-overtime win against #16 Michigan State. Despite their strong performance, the team finished second in the West Division behind Wisconsin. However, Northwestern secured a hard-fought 24-23 victory in the Music City Bowl against Kentucky.
The Wildcats ended the 2018 season with a 9-5 record. In the 2018 Holiday Bowl, they defeated the Utah Utes 31-20.
On July 7, 2023, Fitzgerald was suspended for two weeks by university president Michael H. Schill. This followed an independent investigation that confirmed allegations of hazing, including assaults by varsity players, occurring while Fitzgerald was aware and allegedly made gestures indicating freshman players should be physically and sexually assaulted for poor performance. The reported sexual assaults included acts such as being dry-humped by groups of upperclassmen, being forced through lines of naked teammates in showers resembling a carwash, and compelled to perform a center-to-quarterback snap with a football while naked. The accuser stated he believed, "Everyone would just be looking at each other and be like 'bro, Fitz knows about this,' because you wouldn't take that action otherwise." Investigator Maggie Hickey, formerly an Illinois inspector general, found the players' accusations to be "largely supported by evidence." On July 10, 2023, Fitzgerald was fired amidst these allegations.
Fitzgerald's legacy at Northwestern is defined by his record-breaking achievements. His 109 overall wins and 64 Big Ten Conference wins stand as school records. In thirteen seasons, he coached nine winning teams and one team finishing at .500. Fitzgerald led the Wildcats to ten bowl games in thirteen seasons, a stark contrast to the six bowl appearances in the 123 seasons prior to his tenure. From 2016 to 2018, he guided the Wildcats to three consecutive bowl wins: the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl, the 2017 Music City Bowl, and the 2018 Holiday Bowl. From 2008 to 2012, he orchestrated five consecutive bowl appearances, including three of their six all-time New Year's Day bowl games. He is one of only two coaches in school history to lead Northwestern to a bowl game victory, the only NU coach to win back-to-back bowl games, and holds the record for the most bowl game victories in school history. Fitzgerald is the second head coach to lead Northwestern to four consecutive winning seasons (2015–2018), the first since Dick Hanley coached the Wildcats to winning years from 1928 to 1931. His .567 winning percentage at NU is the highest since Dick Hanley. The 2014–2017 Wildcats seasons are the most successful in terms of wins since the Wildcats teams of 1903–1905.
On December 1, 2025, Michigan State announced Pat Fitzgerald as its new head football coach.
Born in Orland Park, Illinois, Fitzgerald resides in Northfield, Illinois, with his wife, Stacy, and their three sons: Jack, Ryan, and Brendan. In January 2010, he purchased a newly constructed home for $2.3 million. Fitzgerald is an ardent supporter of local professional sports teams, frequently using his Twitter feed to cheer on the Bears, Blackhawks, and White Sox. While he has led the Wrigley Field crowd in the iconic "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during a Cubs game, his true allegiance lies with the South Side – he is a die-hard White Sox fan. In April 2017, Fitzgerald signed a ten-year contract extension with Northwestern. Although Northwestern, a private university, is not obligated to release compensation data, publicly available tax forms indicate Fitzgerald was among the highest-paid coaches in the Big Ten. Further demonstrating commitment to Fitzgerald and the football program, Northwestern invested in a $260 million football facility on campus, which opened in 2018. Following his dismissal from Northwestern, Fitzgerald transitioned to a parent volunteer role for Loyola Academy's football team. His son, Ryan, served as the team's starting quarterback for the 2023 season, leading Loyola Academy to the 2023 IHSA Class 8A State Football Championship with a victory over Lincoln-Way East High School.
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Patrick William Fitzgerald Jr. (born December 2, 1974) is an American former football player and coach who serves as the head football coach at Michigan State University. He previously served as the head coach at Northwestern University from 2006 until he was fired in 2023 in the aftermath of a hazing scandal.
Fitzgerald was promoted to head coach at Northwestern following the sudden death of head coach Randy Walker prior to the 2006 season. He was 31 at the time, making him the youngest head football coach in the Big Ten Conference and NCAA Division I FBS. Fitzgerald became the longest-tenured head coach in Northwestern football history. He played as a linebacker for Northwestern from 1993 to 1996, winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award twice as the best defensive player in college football. He was awarded a Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1997 and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
== Playing career ==
Fitzgerald starred at linebacker for the Wildcats in the mid-1990s, helping to lead the team to a 10–1 regular season record in 1995 and a berth in the 1996 Rose Bowl, the school's second bowl appearance and the first since 1949. He recorded eleven tackles in Northwestern's victory over #9 Notre Dame in South Bend, the Wildcats' first victory over the Irish since 1962. Against #7 Michigan, Fitzgerald led the defensive effort with 14 tackles, including two tackles for losses, in the Wildcats' 19–13 win, the first for Northwestern against Michigan since 1959. At one point during the 1995 season he averaged over 13 tackles a game on his way to Consensus All-America honors. Fitzgerald was unable to play in the Rose Bowl after breaking his leg in the next-to-last game of the 1995 season against Iowa. Fitzgerald returned for the 1996 season, leading the Wildcats to a 9–3 overall record, a second straight Big Ten Championship, and a second consecutive New Year's Day bowl, the 1997 Citrus Bowl.
In his playing career, he was twice named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and was a two-time Consensus All-American. Fitzgerald won both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award in 1995 and again in 1996, becoming the first two-time winner of both honors. He also won the Jack Lambert Trophy as best linebacker in the nation in 1996. In 1997, he was awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor, which recognizes one male and one female student from the graduating class of each Big Ten member school, for athletic and academic excellence.
He was not selected in the 1997 NFL draft but he was signed as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys. They released him after two pre-season games.
Fitzgerald is the fifteenth Northwestern player or coach to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. He was honored at a ceremony on December 9, 2008, in New York City and enshrined in the Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana in July 2009.
== Coaching career ==
=== Early career ===
After graduation, Fitzgerald joined the coaching staff at the University of Maryland in 1998 under head coach Ron Vanderlinden. He then moved on to the University of Colorado under his former Northwestern head coach, Gary Barnett. He took a job at the University of Idaho before returning to Northwestern in 2001, where he served as linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator until his promotion to head coach after the unexpected death of Randy Walker in June 2006.
=== Northwestern ===
==== 2006–2012 ====
The Wildcats struggled in Fitzgerald's first season as head coach going only 4–8 overall and 2–6 in the Big Ten.
The Wildcats improved to 6–6 the following year before going 9–3 in the 2008 regular season (5–3 in conference play) and playing in the Alamo Bowl. After the season, Fitzgerald was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus.
The 2009 season saw the Wildcats beat Iowa 17–10 on November 7. The win over fourth-ranked Iowa is, to date, the highest ranked opponent defeated by a Fitzgerald coached team. Two weeks later, the Wildcats beat #14 Wisconsin for the second upset win of the season. Northwestern finished off the '09 season at the 2010 Outback Bowl, where their quarterback, Mike Kafka, set school records all-time all-bowl records with 47 completions on 78 attempts for 532 passing yards. The Wildcats lost 38–35 in overtime to Auburn, who would win the BCS Championship the following season, when a fake field goal attempt fell short.
In 2011, the Wildcats defeated #9 Nebraska in Lincoln 28–27 with backup quarterback Kain Colter guiding the team in the second half.
In 2012, Fitzgerald became the second coach in school history to coach two nine-win teams. Northwestern played in the third New Year's Day bowl game under Fitzgerald, the 2013 Gator Bowl. They won 34–20, their first bowl victory in sixty-four years, over Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. The '12 team finished the season with a 10–3 record which tied the 1995 and 1903 teams for the most wins in school history. The Gator Bowl win was also Fitzgerald's 50th win as head coach, allowing him to pass Pappy Waldorf as the winningest coach in Northwestern history.
==== 2013 ====
Despite going 10–3 and reaching the Gator Bowl the year before, the 2013 Northwestern team finished just 5–7 and missed a bowl game. The season began with a 4-game winning streak before the team went on a 7-game losing skid. College GameDay was on-site for the October 5 matchup against No. 4 Ohio State. The Wildcats finished on a high note with a road win over Illinois.
==== 2014 ====
In 2014, the team started 0–2 with a loss to Northern Illinois before winning three straight. After back-to-back blowout losses to #19 Nebraska and Iowa, Northwestern lost to Michigan at home. In their next game, they beat Notre Dame 43–40. After a win against Purdue they played Illinois for a chance to return to a bowl game. However, having lost Siemian to a season-ending injury during the Purdue game, the Wildcats lost 47–33.
==== 2015 ====
After back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in his Northwestern tenure, Fitzgerald faced an uncertain season in 2015. The team had to replace Siemian and turned to redshirt freshman Clayton Thorson. Jackson was named the starting running back prior to the season. In the season opener, the Wildcats beat #21 Stanford 16–6. The Wildcats went on a five-game winning streak rising to #13 in the nation before losing 38–0 to Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Wildcats finished their season with a 45-6 loss to Tennessee in the Outback Bowl.
==== 2016 ====
In 2016, the Wildcats finished 7–6.
==== 2017 ====
In 2017, Fitzgerald's Wildcats went 10–3. 2 of the 3 losses were against top-15 teams, Wisconsin and Ohio State. The season included multiple overtime wins, including a 3-overtime victory against No. 16 Michigan State. Despite the solid season, the team finished second in the West Division behind Wisconsin. However, Northwestern went on to earn a 24–23 win in the Music City Bowl against Kentucky.
==== 2018 ====
The Wildcats finished 9–5 in 2017. In the 2018 Holiday Bowl, they defeated the Utah Utes 31–20.
==== 2023 ====
On July 7, 2023, Fitzgerald was suspended for two weeks by university president Michael H. Schill after an independent investigation conducted by law firm ArentFox Schiff confirmed allegations made by a player in November 2022 that hazing, including assaults by varsity players, occurred while Fitzgerald was aware and made hand gestures that indicated that freshman players should be physically and sexually assaulted for poor performance. The sexual assaults included acts such as being dry-humped by groups of upperclassmen, being forced to enter team showers through parallel lines of spinning naked teammates to resemble a carwash, and being compelled to perform a center-to-quarterback snapping of a football while naked. The accuser said that he believed that "Everyone would just be looking at each other and be like 'bro, Fitz knows about this,' because you wouldn't take that action otherwise". Investigator Maggie Hickey, who was formerly an Illinois inspector general, stated that the Wildcat players accusations were "largely supported by evidence." On July 10, 2023, Fitzgerald was fired amid the allegations.
==== Legacy ====
Fitzgerald's 109 overall wins and 64 Big Ten Conference wins are both school records. In thirteen seasons, Fitzgerald has coached nine winning teams and one team that finished the season at .500. Coach Fitzgerald has led the Wildcats to ten bowl games in thirteen seasons; before he became head coach the team had only been in six bowl games in 123 football seasons. From 2016 to 2018, Coach Fitzgerald has led the Wildcats to three consecutive bowl wins (2016 Pinstripe, 2017 Music City, 2018 Holiday). From 2008 to 2012, he led the Wildcats to five consecutive bowl appearances, including three of their six all-time New Year's Day bowl appearances. He is one of only two coaches in school history to lead Northwestern to a bowl game victory, is the only NU coach to win back-to-back bowl games and has the most bowl game victories in school history. Fitzgerald is only the second head coach to lead Northwestern to four consecutive winning seasons (2015–2018) and the first since Dick Hanley coached the Wildcats to winning years from 1928 to 1931. Fitzgerald's .567 winning percentage at NU is the highest since Dick Hanley who coached the Wildcats from 1927 to 1934. The 2014–2017 Wildcats seasons are the best – in terms of wins – since the Wildcats teams of 1903–1905.
=== Michigan State ===
On December 1, 2025, Michigan State hired Pat Fitzgerald as its head football coach.
== Personal life ==
Fitzgerald is from Orland Park, Illinois, and resides in Northfield, Illinois with his wife, Stacy, and three sons, Jack, Ryan, and Brendan. He purchased a $2.3 million newly constructed home in January 2010. Fitzgerald is a huge fan of the area pro sports teams often using his Twitter feed to support the Bears, Blackhawks and White Sox. While Fitzgerald has led the Wrigley Field crowd in the iconic "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" song during the seventh inning stretch of a Cubs game, as a South Sider he is a die-hard White Sox fan. In April 2017, Fitzgerald signed a ten-year contract extension with Northwestern. While Northwestern is a private university and is not obligated to release compensation data, some publicly available tax forms indicate that Fitzgerald is among the highest paid coaches in the Big Ten. In further support of Fitzgerald and the football team, Northwestern has built a $260 million football facility on the lakeshore section of campus that opened in 2018. Following his dismissal from Northwestern, Fitzgerald became a parent volunteer for Loyola Academy's football team. Fitzgerald's son, Ryan, was the team's starting quarterback for the 2023 season. Loyola Academy beat Lincoln-Way East High School to win the 2023 IHSA Class 8A State Football Championship.
== Head coaching record ==
== Notes and references ==
== External links ==
Northwestern profile
College Football Hall of Fame profile
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