Pat Fitzgerald Named Michigan State Head Football Coach

One of the winningest football coaches in Big Ten history, Pat Fitzgerald has been named head football coach at Michigan State University, MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics J Batt announced Monday.

Fitzgerald will be formally introduced as the 27^th head football coach in Michigan State history at a press conference on the MSU campus on Tuesday at 3 p.m. The press conference will be televised live on the Big Ten Network and streamed live on YouTube (Michigan State Spartans Athletics).

Over 17 seasons as the head coach at Northwestern University, Fitzgerald won 110 games, while guiding the Wildcats to 10 bowl games, five AP Top 25 finishes and a pair of appearances in the Big Ten Football Championship Game after winning the Big Ten West Division title in both 2018 and 2020. He was named the 2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year, and in 2020, won the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Year Award after leading the Wildcats to a No. 10 national ranking and a win in the Citrus Bowl over Auburn.

His 110 wins rank 14th all-time for a Big Ten football coach, while his five bowl game victories rank tied for 12th among conference coaches.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era for Michigan State Football," said Batt. "Pat Fitzgerald is widely recognized as an exceptional football coach, whose teams play with extreme toughness and grit, demonstrate continual improvement and maximize potential. Pat is an excellent fit for Michigan State Football, as he understands the Big Ten, has great relationships throughout the Midwest and embodies the values on which our program was built. His incredible passion will resonate throughout the program, connecting with all members of our Spartan community, including student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni and donors.

"As an institution, we are committed to providing the resources and infrastructure required to realize our shared vision of competing for championships, and with Pat leading the way, Spartan Football is positioned for sustained success at the Big Ten and national level. We are excited to welcome Pat, his wife, Stacy, and sons, Jack, Ryan and Brendan, to our Spartan family."

"Pat Fitzgerald is a proven leader who understands the full mission of intercollegiate athletics—competitive excellence, academic achievement, and the holistic development of student-athletes," said MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. "His track record of building disciplined, resilient teams and his commitment to coaching with integrity make him an exceptional fit for Michigan State University. I'm confident that under his leadership, Spartan Football will thrive on and off the field."

The hire requires formal approval from the MSU Board of Trustees with the next scheduled meeting on Friday, Dec. 12.

"I am honored to be named the head football coach at Michigan State University," said Fitzgerald. "I'd like to thank President Guskiewicz and Athletics Director Batt for this opportunity. This is a program with a deep and storied tradition, a passionate fan base, and a commitment to excellence that extends far beyond the football field. What excited me most about this opportunity was the vision for what Michigan State can be for years to come. We will restore tradition, and I'm eager to earn the trust of our players, alumni, and fans while competing at the highest level."

During Fitzgerald's tenure at Northwestern (2006-22) his teams also excelled in the classroom, earning seven American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Academic Achievement Awards, the most of any team in the FBS during that time span. In 2019, the Wildcats became the first Power 5 team to post a perfect 100 percent Graduation Success Rate (GSR).

Fitzgerald is not only the winningest coach in Northwestern football history, he also was the leader of a stout Wildcat defense that won back-to-back Big Ten Championships in 1995 and 1996. He was twice named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and he became the first player ever to win both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award two times, a feat he accomplished his junior and senior seasons. Fitzgerald also won the 1996 Jack Lambert Trophy, awarded to the top linebacker in college football, and was named NU's recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1997, recognizing him for athletic and academic excellence. The only two-time consensus All-American in Wildcat history, Fitzgerald was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 as player; he is also a member of the Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame.

Fitzgerald began his coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at Maryland (1998) and Colorado (1999) before getting his first full-time position as a linebackers and special teams coach at Idaho in 2000. He returned to Northwestern under Randy Walker as a defensive backs coach in 2001 and coached the linebackers from 2002-05 while adding recruiting coordinator duties in 2004-05. Fitzgerald was named Northwestern's 29th head coach on July 7, 2006, following the tragic death of Walker on June 29, 2006. At the age of 31, Fitzgerald became the youngest head coach in the FBS during the time of his hiring.

Fitzgerald's program took off in his third season, going 9-4 and earning the first of five consecutive bowl bids from 2008-2012. For leading Northwestern to nine wins for the first time since 1996 – when he was a player – Fitzgerald was named the 2008 Big Ten Coach of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus, a semifinalist for the George Munger Coach of the Year Award and a finalist for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Award.

He recorded his first 10-win season in 2012 as the Wildcats finished ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll following a win over Mississippi State in the Gator Bowl. Northwestern won 10 games again in 2015 and went 6-2 in the Big Ten to earn a bid to play in the Outback Bowl on New Year's Day while finishing No. 23 in the AP Poll. In 2021, Fitzgerald became just the second Big Ten coach to receive the Stallings Award, which is given annually to a Division I head coach for their contributions in their community and achievements on the field.

Fitzgerald won his last four bowl games as head coach of the Wildcats with victories in the Pinstripe Bowl (2016 vs. Pitt), Music City Bowl (2017 vs. Kentucky), Holiday Bowl (2018 vs. Utah) and Citrus Bowl (2021 vs. Auburn). The Wildcats also closed out the season ranked in the AP Top 25 in 2017 (No. 17), 2018 (No. 21) and 2020 (No. 10) following their bowl wins.

Fitzgerald was very active in the community during his tenure at Northwestern, participating in numerous charitable causes, including the Special Olympics and the NU chapter of Uplifting Athletes, while also visiting schools and children's hospitals. For his work in the community, Fitzgerald was named the honorary coach of the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

Fitzgerald and his wife, Stacy, have three sons: Jack (21), Ryan (19) and Brendan (16).

2026 Football Season Ticket Deposits are on sale now! CLICK HERE to reserve your place in Spartan Stadium today, for $100 per seat. Seat selection will take place at a later date, order will be determined by date & time of deposit purchase. For additional information, please contact a ticket representative at 517-353-4460 or fill out the ticket information request form HERE.

THE FITZGERALD FILE
Previous coaching experience:

Head coach at Northwestern (2006-22)
Linebackers coach/recruiting coordinator at Northwestern (2004-05)
Linebackers coach at Northwestern (2002-03)
Defensive backs coach at Northwestern (2001)
Linebackers coach/special teams coach at Idaho (2000)
Defensive graduate assistant at Colorado (1999)
Defensive graduate assistant at Maryland (1998)

Coaching Highlights:

Winningest coach in Northwestern history with 110 victories (No. 14 in Big Ten history)
10 bowl games and tied for No. 12 in Big Ten history with five bowl wins
Two Big Ten West Division titles (2018, 2020)
2021 Stallings Award
2020 Dodd Trophy Coach of the Year
2018 Big Ten Coach of the Year
Five AP Top 25 finishes
Three 10-win seasons (2012, 2015, 2017)
Coached 44 All-Big Ten selections, 20 NFL Draft picks and 13 All-Americans as head coach at Northwestern

Playing Experience:

Played four years as a linebacker at Northwestern (1993-96)
Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008 as a player after leading the Wildcats to back-to-back Big Ten Championships in 1995-96
Two-time consensus All-American, two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, two-time Chuck Bednarik Award and Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner

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