Pat Fitzgerald

Pat Fitzgerald
	Fitzgerald at Welsh–Ryan Arena in 2013
Biographical details
Born	December 2, 1974 (age 49); Midlothian, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	Northwestern University
Playing career
Northwestern	1993–1996
Position(s)	Linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1998	Maryland (GA)
1999	Colorado (GA)
2000	Idaho (LB/S)
2001	Northwestern (DB)
2002–2003	Northwestern (LB)
2004–2005	Northwestern (LB/Recruiting coordinator)
2006–2022	Northwestern
2023–Present	Loyola Academy (HS) (Volunteer Assistant)
Head coaching record
Overall	110–101
Bowls	5–5
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
	2× Big Ten West Division (2018, 2020);
Awards
	As a coach Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year (2018); Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (2020); As a player 2× Bronko Nagurski Trophy (1995, 1996); 2× Chuck Bednarik Award (1995, 1996); Jack Lambert Trophy (1996); 2× Consensus All-American (1995, 1996); 2× Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (1995, 1996); 2× First-team All-Big Ten (1995, 1996); Big Ten Medal of Honor (1997); Northwestern Athletic Hall of Fame (2003);
	College Football Hall of Fame; Inducted in 2008 (profile)

Patrick William Fitzgerald Jr. (born December 2, 1974) is an American former football player and coach. He served as the head football coach of the Northwestern Wildcats from 2006 until he was fired in July 2023 in the aftermath of a hazing scandal.^[1]

Fitzgerald was promoted 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.^[2] 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.

Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).

^ Medina, Eduardo (July 11, 2023). "Northwestern Fires Pat Fitzgerald, Football Coach, Amid Hazing Allegations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
^ "College football: The 10 longest active-tenured FBS head coaches entering 2022".

[3] Medina, Eduardo (July 11, 2023). "Northwestern Fires Pat Fitzgerald, Football Coach, Amid Hazing Allegations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2023.

[4] "College football: The 10 longest active-tenured FBS head coaches entering 2022".

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Biographical details
Fitzgerald at Welsh–Ryan Arena in 2013
Born	(1974-12-02) December 2, 1974 (age 49) Midlothian, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	Northwestern University
Playing career
Northwestern	1993–1996

Position(s)	Linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1998	Maryland (GA)
1999	Colorado (GA)
2000	Idaho (LB/S)
2001	Northwestern (DB)
2002–2003	Northwestern (LB)
2004–2005	Northwestern (LB/Recruiting coordinator)
2006–2022	Northwestern
2023–Present	Loyola Academy (HS) (Volunteer Assistant)

Head coaching record
Overall	110–101
Bowls	5–5
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2× Big Ten West Division (2018, 2020)
Awards
As a coach Hayes–Schembechler Coach of the Year (2018) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award (2020) As a player 2× Bronko Nagurski Trophy (1995, 1996) 2× Chuck Bednarik Award (1995, 1996) Jack Lambert Trophy (1996) 2× Consensus All-American (1995, 1996) 2× Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year (1995, 1996)^[a] 2× First-team All-Big Ten (1995, 1996) Big Ten Medal of Honor (1997) Northwestern Athletic Hall of Fame (2003)


College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2008^[b] (profile)