One of the leaders of the resurgence of Wildcat Football in the mid 90's. During his time at NU, he played Middle Linebacker in one of the best defensive units in NU history.

The most decorated defensive player in the history of Northwestern football, Pat Fitzgerald returned to his alma mater the summer of 2001 to work with the Wildcat defense. He coached the Wildcat defensive backs in 2001; this year, he will coach the linebackers.

Fitzgerald, 27, returned to Evanston after one season at the University of Idaho, where he coached the linebackers. Prior to that, he was a graduate assistant at Maryland (1998) and a graduate assistant coach at Colorado (1999).

Fitzgerald was front and center in the renaissance of the NU football program in the mid-1990s. In 1995, he was the heart and soul of a suffocating Wildcat defense that led the nation in scoring defense and anchored NU's shocking run to the Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl. Fitzgerald ended the year by being named winner of both the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik Awards as the nation's top defensive player. He also was the Big Ten, Chevrolet and Sports Illustrated Defensive Player of the Year. All this, despite the fact that he broke his leg in the second-to-last regular-season game.

Fitzgerald recovered from that injury, and in 1996 he again led the Wildcats to a share of the Big Ten title. As a result, he once again won the Nagurski and Bednarik Awards, becoming the first two-time winner of both honors. Fitzgerald was also named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year again, and the Linebacker of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. He was also the recipient of Northwestern's George Ballantine, Jr., Memorial Leadership Award.

A two-time first-team All-America, Fitzgerald started 23 games in his career and made 299 tackles, including 20 for loss. He also forced five fumbles and intercepted three passes.

Fitzgerald signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys following his Northwestern career, and played in three preseason games before taking a one-year hiatus from football.

After NU, he played with the Dallas Cowboys (preseason), and coached at Maryland, Colorado and Idaho before returning to the Wildcats in 2001.

Recruiting Areas:
Chicago - SW Suburbs
East Texas [Houston], North Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee.