OT: Pat Fitzgerald new 10 year deal at Northwestern

Submitted by bamf_16 on January 27th, 2021 at 2:46 PM

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.)

JetFuelForBreakfast

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!

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Eng1980

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.

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lhglrkwg

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

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JonnyHintz

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. 

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saveferris

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.

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ldevon1

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. 

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Double-D

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. 

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crg

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.

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goblue76

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.)

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Perkis-Size Me

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. 

 

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1408

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.  

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Perkis-Size Me

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." 

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tivoman

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.

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