It’s time to crank up the rumor mill again.
The Green Bay Packers want to request an interview with Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, according to multiple media reports. While Fitzgerald’s name seems to get associated with coaching vacancies just about every year, this one does have some merit.
Packers president Mark Murphy was the Northwestern athletic director who had the vision in 2006 to hire Fitzgerald, then a 31-year-old linebackers coach, to be the Wildcats head man. So Fitzgerald has a strong relationship with the man at the very top of Green Bay's organization.
Fitzgerald is in San Diego preparing his team for Monday night's Holiday Bowl against Utah. When asked about the Packers' interest during a Sunday press conference, Fitzgerald responded in typical fashion. First, he jokingly asked if the Packers were talking about Utah coach Kyle Whittingham and not him; then he said that he won't comment on rumors before adding a "hashtag Go Cats!" at the end of his statement that may be the most Fitzian quote of all time.
While Fitzgerald has turned down several college opportunities over the years, including Michigan and Notre Dame, this is the NFL. This is big bucks. Not only that, but it’s the Green Bay Packers, one of the elite organizations in the sport, and not the Arizona Cardinals.
All of that will give Fitzgerald a reason to listen to Murphy. It may enable him to leverage the interest for more money, most likely for his staff. But don't expect Fitzgerald to go anywhere. We would be shocked if he decided to leave Northwestern at this time.
Why? Fitzgerald didn't want to talk about the reasons, but we will. Here are the top 10:
1. NU just built him a palace: Northwestern’s administration just gave him 270 million reasons not to leave - one for every dollar spent on the school’s immaculate new Ryan Fieldhouse and Walter Athletics Center, which opened earlier this year. This was Fitzgerald’s baby, a world-class practice facility that he has called a "game changer" and has been pushing for for several years. He’s not going to leave his new home before all of the boxes are unpacked.
2. He bleeds purple: Northwestern is more than Fitzgerald’s alma mater. He believes in the university and its mission and has seen first-hand how it has changed players’ lives. While some coaches look at NU's academic standards and see limitations, Fitzgerald sees it as the program's greatest strength. He is more than an ambassador for Northwestern. He is Northwestern.
3. He’s a Chicago guy: Fitzgerald grew up in south suburban Orland Park, went to college at Northwestern, and has spent all but three years early in his coaching career in Evanston (1998 at Maryland, 1999 at Colorado and 2000 at Idaho). His family is still in Chicago - his father handles sideline communications on game day - as is his wife Stacy’s. He’s gone from the south side to the north side, but he’s spent virtually his entire life within a 50-mile radius.
4. His coaching style won’t translate to the NFL: Fitzgerald is a college coach, plain and simple. He relishes his role as a molder of young men and is a father figure to many of his players. He is quintessential player’s coach whose players love him, and he's more of mentor and motivator than an Xs-and-Os guy. That is not part of the job description in the NFL, which is all about wins and losses, period. Plus, Fitzgerald is a born salesman who loves recruiting.
5. He has zero NFL experience: Fitzgerald has never coached in the NFL, and his career as a player lasted “as long as a cup of coffee,” as he likes to say (he was cut in training camp by the Dallas Cowboys). He may have the skill set to be an NFL head man, but he would need a strong staff with a lot of pro experience around him and his NFL coaching network is limited. We think the Packers may be interested in talking to him, but hiring a coach without any NFL entries on his resume would be a big risk.
6. He has a job for life at NU: Fitzgerald is signed through 2026, but in reality he has as close to a lifetime contract as you can get in coaching. Barring a scandal that would force the administration’s hand (chances of that are slim and none), it's difficult to envision Northwestern ever firing Fitzgerald. He has complete control of his program and staff, and has his bosses squarely in his corner (see below). He weathered recent down seasons that might have doomed other coaches at other schools. You can’t put a price on that kind of stability.
7. He loves his bosses: Fitzgerald has great working relationships with the three men who control his future at NU: athletic director Jim Phillips, president Morty Schapiro and mega-donor Pat Ryan. Phillips, a master fund raiser, was just named AD of the year; there is no more sports-friendly president in America than Schapiro; and Ryan is the biggest Fitz fan of all and has written checks more than once to ensure he stayed in Evanston. Fitzgerald respects Murphy, but he won’t be able to beat the triumvirate in place for him at NU.
8. Money can’t buy everything: Fitzgerald is not driven by money, but money is always a factor. While Green Bay could certainly pay him more than the reported $3.5 million per year he makes at NU, Fitzgerald is not a “grass is greener” kind of guy. He lives in a stately mansion on the North Shore. His office overlooks Lake Michigan to one side and the Chicago skyline on the other. He is a god on campus. Life is good.
9. He’s seen successful college coaches fail: The NFL’s history is littered with great college coaches who flamed out miserably at the next level. Alabama head coach Nick Saban, one of the greatest of all time with six national championships to his credit, lasted just two years in the NFL. He went 15-17 at Miami and returned to college. And he isn’t the only big winner to crash and burn at the next level: Steve Spurrier went 12-20, Bobby Petrino 3-10 and Lou Holtz 3-11. All went back to college.
10. He has unfinished business: Fitzgerald just won his first Big Ten coach of the year award and first division title at NU in this, his 13th year. But he still hasn’t won a Big Ten championship, like his two predecessors did. Recruiting should get a bump with the gleaming new facility. He has former five-star QB Hunter Johnson coming in this season. Fitzgerald genuinely believes he can win a national championship at Northwestern. Before you roll your eyes, remember that this is a guy who led Northwestern to the Rose Bowl and a No. 3 ranking in 1995, when the program hadn’t even had a winning season in 24 years.
Add it all up and we see Fitzgerald staying at Northwestern. Besides, “hashtag Go Pack Go!" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
