Best in 25 Years Series: Fitz is Northwestern's top middle linebacker

It's been 25 years since Northwestern's magical run to the Rose Bowl in 1995. WildcatReport is celebrating that Silver Anniversary by finding out who's been the best player at each position since that legendary team revitalized Wildcat football.

BEST IN 25 YEARS SERIES:

OFFENSE: QB Dan Persa l RB Justin Jackson l WR D'Wayne Bates l TE Drake Dunsmore l T Zach Strief l G Ryan Padgett l C Rob Johnson

DEFENSE: DE Corey Wootton l DT Matt Rice

This race had all the drama of the last fight in a Rocky sequel.

Just about everyone knew how the vote for best Northwestern middle linebacker over the last 25 years was going to end up: Pat Fitzgerald was going to win. The only question was by how much.

In somewhat of a surprise, Fitz didn't get the largest percentage of votes in this ongoing Best in 25 Years Series that has now crowned 10 players as tops at their position. His 80.0% is second to D'Wayne Bates, who took 85.7% of the votes for best wide receiver.

But Fitzgerald also was in the toughest position group we've seen so far, a Fab Five of standout 'backers. Anthony Walker Jr., a starting linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts, was the runner-up with 12.0%. Barry Gardner, who played eight seasons in the NFL, took home 4.0%; Tim McGarigle, the NCAA's all-time tackles leader, got 2.7%; while Paddy Fisher, who still has one year of eligibility left, had 1.3%.

There was never a doubt, however, that Fitzgerald would be No.1. He is the most decorated player in Northwestern history -- and we're not even counting his work as the winningest coach in school history, either.

Look what Fitzgerald did in 1995-96. He spearheaded a defense that won back-to-back Big Ten championships. He was a two-time consensus All-America, a two-time first-team All-Big Ten pick, and the first player in history to win two Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik awards as the best defensive player in the country.

In 2008, he became the 15th Wildcat in history to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.

BALLOT: Who was the best Northwestern MLB over the last 25 years?

That's a pretty tough resume to beat. At any school.

The funny thing is that Fitzgerald doesn't hold a single statistical record at Northwestern. His name doesn't even appear in the Top 10 in any defensive category. Not tackles, tackles for loss, forced fumbles, recovered fumbles. Nothing.

No, Fitzgerald's greatness went much deeper than that. It couldn't be captured by numbers.

He was like a coach on the field, an instinctive player who could see things that others couldn't. 1995 All-Big Ten cornerback Chris Martin said that playing with Fitz on defense was like having a cheat code, so good was he at diagnosing running or passing plays before they happened. He had an uncanny nose for the football and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

In our mind's eye, we see No. 51 standing up Tim Biakabutuka at the goal line, and then drilling Brian Griese as he threw the ball on the last two plays of the game to seal Northwestern's stunning upset of Michigan in 1995. We see him sacking a besieged Wally Richardson in NU's win over Penn State in 1995. We see him recovering a fumble in the fourth quarter to spur the Wildcats' comeback win over the Wolverines in 1996.

The 299 tackles, 20 TFL, five forced fumbles and three interceptions don't begin to tell the story of Pat Fitzgerald. His two Big Ten championship rings do a much better job.

Northwestern at Michigan, 1995

Penn State at Northwestern, 1995