Northwestern University Athletics
Pat Fitzgerald Named Assistant Coach For Football
7/19/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
July 19, 2001
Northwestern football coach Randy Walker announced today that Pat Fitzgerald, the first player in college football history to win back-to-back National Defensive Player of the Year Awards, is returning to the Wildcat program as an assistant coach. Fitzgerald replaces defensive backs coach Brad Bolinger, who resigned last month to pursue an opportunity outside the coaching profession.
Fitzgerald is one of the most decorated players in Northwestern football history. He was a two-time recipient (1995 and 1996) of the Chuck Bednarik (Maxwell Outstanding Defensive Player) and Bronko Nagurski (Charlotte Touchdown Club Outstanding Defensive Player) awards. In addition, he was a two-time Associated Press All-American and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.
Besides the individual honors, Fitzgerald was the leader of two Big Ten championship clubs. He led the Wildcats to a perfect Big Ten season (8-0) in 1995 and a berth in the Rose Bowl. Northwestern finished 10-2 that year. In 1996, Fitzgerald bounced back from a broken leg that occured late in the `95 season to lead Northwestern to a repeat Big Ten title. The Wildcats finished 9-3 overall and 7-1 in league play.
"Pat embodies everything great about Northwestern football," said Walker. "Players and coaches who know him always speak highly of his tremendous leadership and motivational skills and his great work ethic. Those are exactly the type of qualities that we're instilling with our defense. Our staff is really excited about his return to Evanston."
After graduating in 1997, Fitzgerald signed a free-agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys and played in four preseason games. He then began his coaching career the following year (1998), serving as a defensive graduate assistant at Maryland. He moved to Colorado in 1999, assisting former NU coach Gary Barnett as a defensive graduate assistant.
This past season, Fitzgerald was the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Idaho. With the Vandals, he mentored three All-Big West linebackers and one Verizon Academic All-American.
"I'm honored that Coach Walker has given my wife and me the opportunity to come back home," said Fitzgerald. "I have a lot of great memories as a player here. I'm looking forward to being associated with a young and talented coaching staff and a new group of Northwestern players. It's an exciting time to be a Wildcat."
Fitzgerald, who started 23 games in his career for the Wildcats and totaled 299 career tackles, earned his bachelor's degree from Northwestern's School of Education and Social Policy.
