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Pat Fitzgerald

Linebacker

Inducted 2008

Date of Birth

12/2/1974

Birthplace

Orland Park, IL

School

Northwestern University (1993-1996)

Bio

The first two-time winner of both the Chuck Bednarik and Bronko Nagurski Awards, Pat Fitzgerald was the heart of the Northwestern defense that led the Wildcats to their first Rose Bowl in 47 years. Fitzgerald's athletics prowess ignited an NU team that led the nation in scoring defense in 1995, generating back-to-back Big Ten titles. The Orland Park, Ill., native recorded 299 career tackles, including 20 for a loss, en route to being named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 1995 and 1996. Fitzgerald was a consensus first-team All-America selection those same seasons. Fitzgerald signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent following his Northwestern career only to discover that coaching was his true passion. He served as an assistant at several universities before returning to his alma matter in 2001. Fitzgerald spent the next five years as an NU assistant coach before taking the head coaching reigns in 2006.