Pat Fitzgerald Signs Through 2030 at Northwestern

EVANSTON, IL — Northwestern football fans can breathe a sigh of relief after university officials announced Wednesday that football coach Pat Fitzgerald had agreed to a contract tying him to the school through the 2030 season. The winningest coach in program history, Fitzgerald had reportedly drawn interest from NFL teams this offseason after leading Northwestern to a 7-2 record, which included an appearance in the Big Ten Football Championship Game and a victory over Auburn in the Citrus Bowl.

Fitzgerald, a former standout linebacker at Northwestern, became the head coach at his alma mater in 2006, and he's currently the sixth-longest-tenured coach in major college football. He reached the 100-win milestone this past season and was named the 2020 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year.

"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 said in a statement Wednesday. "We all have a lot to be proud of, but our best is yet to come."

Financial terms of Fitzgerald's new deal were not announced. According to CBS Sports.com, in 2017, the coach signed a contract extension through 2026. Pete Thamel, the national college football and basketball reporter for Yahoo Sports, said multiple NFL franchises had reached out to Fitzgerald this off season about becoming their head coach, including two that made a heavy push.

The Houston Texans are the only team in the NFL with a current head coaching vacancy. But Fitzgerald's name had been linked to NFL jobs in the past, and additional job openings appear every off season. The new contract is a good sign Fitzgerald will remain in Evanston for the foreseeable future.

"We have one of the best coaches in college football, and more importantly, a leader uncommonly suited to this university," said Jim Phillips, Northwestern's vice president for athletics and recreation. "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."

In the last six seasons, Fitzgerald has guided Northwestern to a .750 winning percentage or better four times in Big Ten play. Only one other program in the conference has bettered that mark. Fitzgerald's 106 career wins at Northwestern are the sixth-most by an active major college coach at the same school. In 2018, Fitzgerald was named Big Ten Coach of the Year.