Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald gets 10-year extension

Despite getting tons of offseason interest from NFL teams, Pat Fitzgerald stay committed to Northwestern and the school just rewarded him in a big way. 

Breaking news has arrived out of Northwestern and fans everywhere are surely going to be fired up about it. That’s because beloved head coach Pat Fitzgerald isn’t going anywhere.

On Wednesday, the school announced that it has reached a new contract with Fitzgerald, giving him a 10-year extension. Throughout the offseason, he had been linked with multiple NFL head coaching positions, but made it clear he wanted to stay put with the Northwestern program. The school has returned the favor with its latest deal.

“We have one of the best coaches in college football and, more importantly, a leader uncommonly suited to this University,” Combe Family Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Jim Phillips said in a release from the school. “Over the course of his tenure, Coach Fitzgerald has built a culture of unwavering belief in excellence both on and off the field, and led our Wildcats to unprecedented sustained success. They boast incredible achievement in the classroom, in the community and in competition, and will for years to come.”

Pat Fitzgerald is the 6th-longest-tenured coach in college football

“From the moment I stepped on campus as an undergraduate, I have believed this is the finest University in the country, with the potential to offer an unmatched student-athlete experience,” Fitzgerald in the release. “Stacy, Jack, Ryan, Brendan and I have always been grateful to call Northwestern our home and be part of the Wildcats family.”

Fitzgerald started his career as head coach of the Wildcats all the way back in 2006. Since then, he’s posted a 106-81 record, winning five bowl games. That includes winning the Citrus Bowl this past season.  Come next fall, Fitzgerald will enter his 16th campaign as the leader of the Northwestern program.

He’s a living legend and adored by Northwestern fans across the country. As a student-athlete, Fitzgerald was a star for the Wildcats and one of the best linebackers in the country. He’s stayed loyal to the team he loves so much and will now be under contract through at least the 2030 season.

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