Northwestern has officially fired head football coach Pat Fitzgerald, with the decision coming after reports from former players of alleged hazing and a “culture enabling racism.” Fitzgerald is unquestionably the greatest coach in school history, and definitely on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time Northwestern football players.
He leaves, not by own his accord, and the utter disgrace of his exit, punctuated by public documentation of deplorable acts committed under his watch, forever tarnishes his legacy. In terms of a replacement, we think Mike Kafka is the way to go, and we covered that here.
For now, let’s reflect on the Fitz era.
This is not a celebration of all that he accomplished, nor is it a condemnation of all that he did wrong. It is simply put, what it is. Sorry to use that painful press conference bromide. But this all reminds of a play I saw 15 years ago about Benedict Arnold. You know that name and the emotions it evokes.
However, this play showed us why Arnold did what he did, and how in his mind, it made sense to sell America out to the British during the Revolutionary War. Because at the end of the day, all human beings are complicated. Very few are all good or all evil.
Pat Fitzgerald is obviously not anything close to the “good clean American fun” image he pretended to be. He’s not wholesome, to say the least. But he’s not Vlad the Impaler or Osama Bin-Laden either. He’s a classic, throwback Southside Irish guy (for better or worse) in all sense of the phrase
University President Michael Schill made it clear, in his letter announcing the Fitz dismissal that the decision was all his. Which makes you wonder just what, if anything, Athletic Director Dr. Derrick Gragg has been doing the past few days.
Schill wrote:
“The head coach is ultimately responsible for the culture of his team. The hazing we investigated was widespread and clearly not a secret within the program, providing Coach Fitzgerald with the opportunity to learn what was happening. Either way, the culture in Northwestern Football, while incredible in some ways, was broken in others.
Pat Fitzgerald had media skills that were second to none. All the media that he worked alongside raved about his affable personality and entertaining press conferences.
However, as one of the NU former football players whistle blowers said: you can be a nice guy, and still condone and enable all of the disgusting hazing.
Both things can be true.
Or you can be Danny Kanell, and just be a moronic meathead who causes brain damage to anyone who hears or reads his words. By the way, I know Danny Kanell is not the guy who gave the infamous “Braylon Edwards Brought the Forward Pass to the Big Ten” take, but it really feels/sounds like something he would say:
I hate this. Pat Fitzgerald is a good human who cared about his players deeply. He ran his program the right way and has a stellar reputation. I have never heard anyone have a bad thing to say about him. This feels wrong.
— Danny Kanell (@dannykanell) July 10, 2023
Pat Fitzgerald the Player
In 1995, year one A.D. of modern Northwestern football, the Purple went to Pasadena led by defensive standout Pat Fitzgerald, whom on May 1, 2008, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. A two-time Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik Award winner, Fitzgerald is one of the main reasons why the Wildcats savored unparalleled success for two straight seasons in 95 and 96.
Northwestern won back-to-back Big Ten titles and posted a two-year Big Ten mark of 15-1, an apex they haven’t seen since, and won’t ever again for a very long time.
A native of Orland Park, Ill., and a graduate of Carl Sandburg High School, Fitzgerald was an outstanding college football player, but he never came close to actually establishing any kind of NFL career.
Pat Fitzgerald the Coach
A Wildcats assistant from 2001 through the summer of 2006, Fitzgerald basically fell into the job, in an emergency situation. Fitz was named Northwestern’s 29th all-time head coach on July 7, 2006, succeeding Randy Walker, who died suddenly on June 29, 2006.
De ja vu all over again, as it’s July 10th, and NU needs a new head coach as the season fast approaches. He was the youngest (33 years old) head football coach at the time among all Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
Named one of college football top recruiters by SI.com in 2004 and inducted into Northwestern Athletic Hall of Fame, he soon brought NU to a level that his predecessors, Walker and Gary Barnett (his coach) could not.
While he never won a conference title, like the two predecessors did, he brought a level of respectability and consistency that Barnett and Walker did not. Under Fitz, 10 win seasons were more common, instead of just being fluky. He ended the the school’s nearly 60 year bowl game wins drought, and it wasn’t long until winning bowl games was a regular occurrence. He was won the Big Ten West twice, this making two conference title game appearances.
They were consistently solid, or better for awhile, something that seemed unimaginable during the dark ages from the 1970s to the mid 1990s.
However, the last few years saw a return to those dark days, as NU is just 4-20 since the Big Ten West title season of 2020. Throw in that 3-9 season, the previous year, and well, he honestly could have been fired for cause on just football matters alone.
In the end though, it was the off-the-field stuff that got him dismissed and deservedly so.
Perverse, repulsive acts like that cannot go unpunished, and unfortunately for Pat Fitzgerald, his fans and supporters, it is the last thing we’ll remember about him. At least for now, and at least when it comes to the school where he was previously a total legend as both a player and as a coach.
The recency effect, it is a cold-blooded killer, isn’t it?
And finally
Pat Fitzgerald in his own words on this:
Statement attached from former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald to ESPN, which includes that he’s hired a high-profile attorney to “take the necessary steps to protect my rights in accordance with the law.” Fitzgerald: “I was surprised when I learned that the president of… pic.twitter.com/zPNTAkr2xn
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) July 11, 2023
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.