Pat Fitzgerald

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See also, Patrick Fitzgerald.

Pat Fitzgerald is the current head coach of the Northwestern University Wildcats football team. He was selected after the unexpected death of Randy Walker and announced at a press conference on July 7, 2006^[1]. He was 31 at the time of his appointment, making him the youngest coach in the Big Ten Conference and in NCAA Division I-A football by five years.

Fitzgerald starred at Linebacker for the Wildcats in the mid-1990's, helping to lead the team to the 1996 Rose Bowl, its first appearance there since 1949. Fitzgerald was unable to play in the game, however, after breaking his leg in the next-to-last game of the 1995 season, in which he led the Wildcats to a 10-1 regular season record. Fitzgerald returned for the 1996 season, leading the Wildcats to the 1997 Citrus Bowl.

In his playing career, he twice was named Big Ten defensive player of the year and won both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award in 1995 and then again in 1996, becoming the first two-time winner of both honors.

After graduation, Fitzgerald briefly played with the Dallas Cowboys but decided that coaching was his calling. He joined the coaching staff at the University of Maryland in 1998, then moved on to Colorado under his former Northwestern coach, Gary Barnett. He took a job at the University of Idaho before returning to Northwestern, where he served as linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator until his promotion to head coach.

Preceded by Randy Walker

Northwesten University Head Football Coaches 2006-

Succeeded by current