OT: Pat Fitzgerald new 10 year deal at Northwestern
Good for him. I wonder if he ever had serious interest in the NFL or if the security he’s established for himself at his alma mater is all he needs at this point in his life.
(I wonder if his jump for joy after signing this new deal was more impressive than the one after the 15 yard penalty in the 2013 game he thought sealed the deal before the Gardner prayer was answered by Roundtree.)
January 27th, 2021 at 2:48 PM ^
No links for whatever the deal entails? I mean, he's earned a new contract, but it would be interesting to know what it is...
January 27th, 2021 at 3:07 PM ^
10 years
January 27th, 2021 at 3:19 PM ^
Private University. Past contracts have not been disclosed.
January 27th, 2021 at 5:05 PM ^
According to a released federal tax return for the school, he was compensated $5.1 million for the 2017 year. So educated guess would say... $6 million? Shrugs. NW doesn’t seem likely to pay too much money for a coach but I’d still expect a raise of some kind.
January 27th, 2021 at 11:58 PM ^
Apparently they pay more than Michigan.
January 27th, 2021 at 2:55 PM ^
Dude’s got a good thing going on, extremely happy for him.
January 27th, 2021 at 3:00 PM ^
That last second field goal at northwestern will always stand out as the most memorable play of all time for me.
January 27th, 2021 at 4:32 PM ^
That was a good one for sure. The Northwestern play that has stuck with me (albeit for different reasons) was A-Train's unfortunate fumble that permitted Northwestern the chance for the win.
Thomas has long been my sentimental favorite Michigan back, because he's always struck me as such a good guy. For him to have to experience one of those moments that so many might permit to overshadow the incredible contributions he made for years just seemed "unfair" in some way, despite that it's just sports at the end of the day.
As much as many Michigan fans already appreciated Thomas, his Superman act just after his rookie year with the Bears added to the A-Train legend:
https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20021015&slug=thomas15
Thomas has always struck me as a great dude, and watching him navigate a tough loss to Northwestern that definitely was not on his shoulders that day, only to see him step up when someone needed him most, putting their needs before his own, truly risking himself and his career was remarkable.
#A-Train!
January 27th, 2021 at 6:31 PM ^
I was at that game. I had seats at the 25 yard line on the side of the field where the fumble happened - pretty close to right in front of me. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I preferred remembering the 2013 miracle last-second FG game with the no-call penalty.
January 27th, 2021 at 7:29 PM ^
That was part of a horrible stretch for a good Northwestern team. Started 4-0 then lost 6 in a row with two OT losses and I think having lost a two score lead in two of the games. I think at least two of the losses were due to bad calls at key points in the game. The Devin Gardner toss was a miracle in that the NW defender tipped the ball up in the air to extend the play.
Fantastic field goal drill for Michigan none the less.
January 27th, 2021 at 3:01 PM ^
Honestly they're a match made in heaven. Northwestern will never get a better coach to work there long term, and while Fitzgerald is a very good coach, I'm not sure he's some world destroyer who is going to be great at a big P5 or NFL program. They'll be happy together as long as Fitzgerald is still getting winning seasons most of the time
January 27th, 2021 at 5:11 PM ^
Yup. From a culture/expectations standpoint, it’s just perfect. He knows the school, he knows how to get the kids that can succeed at the school and he knows how to get them to play well for him. And NW is lenient enough with their expectations that he can survive a few 5-7 win seasons that would put him on the hot seat at a major program.
Both he and the school have a ceiling and they’re both willing to accept those results.
January 27th, 2021 at 3:09 PM ^
He is worth every penny.
January 27th, 2021 at 4:05 PM ^
Absolutely. Does a lot with a little, runs a clean program and is a stand-up guy.
He's in the perfect spot... and he deserves it.
January 27th, 2021 at 7:16 PM ^
He certainly is.
I have my doubts though he gets to year 3 before heading off the league for "greener" pastures.
January 27th, 2021 at 9:31 PM ^
Well, he’s gotten to year 15 in his tenure there already...
January 27th, 2021 at 3:09 PM ^
He jumped for Joy in 2012, Dileo slide in 2013, and M00N in 2014 .
January 27th, 2021 at 3:35 PM ^
Tbh I have never been able to look at him the same way since he celebrated that late hit penalty. He watched his defenseless player get drilled out of bounds, and his reaction was to bounce up and down like a 9 year old who just got a victory Royale. Just weird.
January 27th, 2021 at 6:10 PM ^
He can be a bit of a douchebag at times, but overall, he seems like a reasonable dude.
January 28th, 2021 at 12:13 PM ^
I was so happy when they won after that. I liked Fitz before and this changed my mind. Not unlike the Tom Allen hug when Indiana led Michigan at halftime in 2018.
January 27th, 2021 at 3:14 PM ^
He's Northwestern's version of Bo (but being an Alumn). He'd be silly to leave.
January 27th, 2021 at 3:53 PM ^
Bo? Gary Barnett did pretty well before Fitzgerald. Hell he won the B1G, when it was the Big Ten.
January 27th, 2021 at 4:03 PM ^
I think he's referring to longevity. He's like Northwestern's Kirk Ferentz.
January 27th, 2021 at 5:49 PM ^
Much better comparison.
January 28th, 2021 at 12:13 PM ^
Given the fact that Ferentz is 65 and in the final 3-4 years of his current contract, there's a good chance that by the time Fitzgerald's 10 year deal is up in 2031, he'll have become the dean of Big Ten coaches. Given that he could achieve that type of longevity at a program like Northwestern is remarkable.
January 28th, 2021 at 7:05 PM ^
Like Ferentz except for the racism, rhabdo and all-round assholery.
January 27th, 2021 at 5:16 PM ^
Gary Bennett had just two winning seasons at NW and just three years where he finished with more than 3 wins. He finished with a .438 winning percentage.
No, I don’t think he did “pretty well” and if we’re making a comparison to Bo, it’s Fitzgerald not Bennett.
January 27th, 2021 at 5:45 PM ^
Both times he finished 1st in the Big Ten. Dude, before Barnett got there, they never won more than 4 games in one year in 25 years. Barnett won the Big Ten in back to back seasons. That's pretty damn good by any standard. He put them on the map.
January 28th, 2021 at 5:24 AM ^
He had two good years out of his 7 there. Yes, two of them were very good, but the rest were not. Certainly not to the point where you’d give the guy Bo status.
January 28th, 2021 at 7:25 AM ^
You are missing the point. No one said give him Bo status, I'm just not giving Fitzgerald Bo status. Bo took over a team that never won anything. Northwestern had success shortly before Fitzgerald got there. Hell he played on Barnett's teams. He has been good, but they haven't won anything significant to give him Bo status.
January 27th, 2021 at 9:33 PM ^
Northwestern was one of the worst programs in college football history when Barnett took over. He won or shared two Big Ten titles. An astonishing coaching job. He made that job viable. Walker and Fitzgerald have added to what he built.
January 28th, 2021 at 7:26 AM ^
I'm not even sure why he is arguing against this point. It's ridiculous.
January 28th, 2021 at 12:07 PM ^
Gary Barnett won the Big Ten when it was the Big 11....but your point is well-taken.
January 27th, 2021 at 3:16 PM ^
I’ll always have visions of him jumping up and down (inch of elevation) exalted at our late game personal foul call only to have us steal the game at the end.
That being said I would be very happy to have him coach my kids.
January 27th, 2021 at 3:21 PM ^
Still can't believe they left Tree 1-on-1 in that game. I remember that catch and my reaction as well as Tree's catch against ND for UTL1.
January 27th, 2021 at 3:21 PM ^
It seems just about everyone is happy with the situation and outside consensus is that this is the best match of school & coach.
January 27th, 2021 at 3:28 PM ^
Moves like this are why I like college football.......coach who I can tolerate at his alma mater with a program I generally respect and root for when they are not playing Michigan. (I guess I am finally over 95, 96 and 2000.)
This is good moment in a time where I generally hate most things college football (looking at you CFB playoff and transfer portal.)
January 27th, 2021 at 3:37 PM ^
kirk ferentz sends his regards
January 27th, 2021 at 3:41 PM ^
Great coach and well deserved
January 27th, 2021 at 4:09 PM ^
2012....I was at that game. I can see myself in the crowd when they replay Roudtree’s catch. Had 5th row seats.
January 27th, 2021 at 4:22 PM ^
Perfect match, for the football, the academics, and the school spirit.
January 27th, 2021 at 4:27 PM ^
Good for him that he was able to sign it this year. Northwestern will probably be rancid next year.
January 27th, 2021 at 5:37 PM ^
Good coach, pay him!
January 27th, 2021 at 5:37 PM ^
Pat has a pretty sweet deal going. I doubt he has any interest in going anywhere else.
1) He's coaching his alma mater. I have to believe that is his dream job, as it would be for many people. He's from Chicago, his family has its roots there, I imagine his kids have been there since they were born. No desire to pick them up and move them somewhere else.
2) He has all the job security in the world. He's as far from the hot seat as possible. Northwestern has to be right up there with Stanford as one of the toughest places in America to recruit high-caliber athletes to who can still hack it academically at a top-flight university. Fitzgerald consistently finds guys who fit his system and puts together competitive teams. He's won the West two of the last three years over far more talented Wisconsin teams.
3) Northwestern, relatively speaking, is a low-pressure job. Probably one of the lowest-pressure gigs in the conference. Yes, I have no doubt the fans and alums want to win, but the pressure to win there is a fraction of what it is at Michigan, OSU, PSU, Nebraska, Wisconsin, etc. Much less the pressure to win in the NFL.
4) No one at Northwestern has unrealistic expectations about their football program, and everyone at the school is on the same page about what Northwestern prioritizes first: academics. The expectation for the football team is "Hey, just don't embarrass us, graduate your players, and mold fine young men who will represent us well after they leave campus." Fitzgerald fulfills that expectation and then some, so I'm not sure why he'd want to trade all of that and go somewhere that is going to expect him to start winning, and winning big, right away.
January 27th, 2021 at 9:30 PM ^
I say this is a lifelong NU fan (before I went to UMich) and now a big NU fan as my second team (to the extent that is even allowed) - the only issue is that he can never be truly great there. There has to be a part of him that wonders what could be at a school that is able to compete for national titles.
January 28th, 2021 at 12:54 PM ^
You're probably right, but he's been at Northwestern for 15 years now. That's a long, long time to be pondering what ifs, especially when you've had to have had plenty of suitors come calling at your doorstep over the years. Suitors who can offer you more money, better access to better recruits, and a program with a higher ceiling.
My guess is that Fitzgerald made peace, a long time ago, with what his program is and what it can reasonably accomplish. There are some guys who are just happy doing what they're doing and don't want the additional pressure in their lives that come with being a coach at a place like Michigan, Texas, Notre Dame or Alabama. He's got to be making great money too, at least a couple million a year.
Yes, he could go to a big SEC school and probably make double that. But I guarantee that whatever he's making already allows he and his family to live whatever lifestyle they want, go where they want, buy and do what they want. He's probably got the Forrest Gump mindset of "There's only so much money a man needs. Anything more is just for showin' off."
January 27th, 2021 at 6:01 PM ^
This is the kind of story we need right now....
Pat Fitzgerald is the anti-Rich Rod.
January 27th, 2021 at 6:36 PM ^
January 27th, 2021 at 6:32 PM ^
He is an amazing fit for all the reasons spelled out here. For him, he is getting plenty of money and he has to know that if retires 10-20 years from now with a winning percentage in the vicinity of .600 - .700, they are going to put up a statue of him outside the stadium. Pretty sweet situation.
January 27th, 2021 at 7:18 PM ^
Haha - that jump for joy was right in front of me in the stands. Hated the guy passionately for years; just recently gotten over it ....somewhat.