Northwestern Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald Named 2021 AFCA President
January 12, 2021
Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald will lead the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 2021 as president of the organization. Fitzgerald, who moves up from first vice-president, succeeds outgoing president Gary Patterson of TCU. Fitzgerald was elected president by members attending the Association’s virtual 2021 Convention today.
In addition to Fitzgerald, the 2021 AFCA officers include first vice-president Craig Bohl of the University of Wyoming, second vice-president Todd Knight of Ouachita Baptist University and third vice-president David Cutcliffe of Duke University.
Also serving on the Board in 2021: Jeff McMartin, Central College (Iowa); Bronco Mendenhall, University of Virginia; Danny Rocco, University of Delaware; Paul Winters, Wayne State University (Mich.); Ken Niumatalolo, U.S. Naval Academy; David Shaw, Stanford University; Jim Catanzaro, Lake Forest College; Steve Ryan, Morningside College; Bobby Hauck, University of Montana; Lance Leipold, University at Buffalo; Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech University; Bobby Kennedy, Stanford University, ex officio member and chairman of the Assistant Coaches Committee; Van Malone, Kansas State University, ex officio member and chairman of the Minority Issues Committee; Michael Christensen, Lakewood (Calif.) High School, ex officio member and chairman of the High School Committee; and Mark McElroy, Saddleback College (Calif.), ex officio member and Junior College representative. Neal Brown from West Virginia University, Billy Napier from the University of Louisiana and Sam Pittman from the University of Arkansas are newly elected members of the Board this year. AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry serves as secretary-treasurer of the organization.
RELATED ARTICLE: Indiana’s Tom Allen Named 2020 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS National Coach Of The Year
Fitzgerald completed his 15th season as the head coach at Northwestern, guiding the Wildcats to a 7-2 overall record, a first-place finish in the Big Ten West Division and an appearance in the Big Ten championship game. Northwestern defeated Auburn in the Citrus Bowl, giving Fitzgerald his fourth straight bowl victory, and fifth overall. He is the winningest head coach in Northwestern history with 106 victories and has led the Wildcats to 10 bowl games. Fitzgerald earned Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year honors in 2020 and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2018 after leading Northwestern to a Big Ten West Division title.
Northwestern has excelled academically under Fitzgerald. The Wildcats have ranked first or second in Graduation Success Rate for 10 straight years, and in 2019 became the first Power Five team to ever post a perfect GSR score. Northwestern has won 10 AFCA Academic Achievement Awards since the award’s inception in 1981, with six coming under Fitzgerald’s leadership.
Fitzgerald is also very active in community service. He and his players participate in several charitable events including: Northwestern Dance Marathon, Special Olympics, Misericordia, Uplifting Athletes and they make weekly school and children’s hospital visits. Fitzgerald was named Honorary Head Coach of the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his dedication to community service.
Fitzgerald began his coaching career in 1998 as a graduate assistant at Maryland under Ron Vanderlinden, who was his defensive coordinator at Northwestern. In 1999, he became a graduate assistant at Colorado under his former head coach, Gary Barnett. Fitzgerald spent one season as the linebackers/special teams coach at Idaho before returning to his alma mater in 2001 as defensive backs coach. In 2006, he was named head coach at Northwestern after the unexpected death of head coach Randy Walker.
Fitzgerald was named to the AFCA Board of Trustees in 2012. He served as chairman of the AFCA Ethics Committee for seven years. Fitzgerald was a consensus All-American linebacker for Northwestern in 1995 and 1996 while also taking home the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik awards those same seasons.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
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Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald will lead the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in 2021 as president of the organization. Fitzgerald, who moves up from first vice-president, succeeds outgoing president Gary Patterson of TCU. Fitzgerald was elected president by members attending the Association’s virtual 2021 Convention today.
In addition to Fitzgerald, the 2021 AFCA officers include first vice-president Craig Bohl of the University of Wyoming, second vice-president Todd Knight of Ouachita Baptist University and third vice-president David Cutcliffe of Duke University.
Also serving on the Board in 2021: Jeff McMartin, Central College (Iowa); Bronco Mendenhall, University of Virginia; Danny Rocco, University of Delaware; Paul Winters, Wayne State University (Mich.); Ken Niumatalolo, U.S. Naval Academy; David Shaw, Stanford University; Jim Catanzaro, Lake Forest College; Steve Ryan, Morningside College; Bobby Hauck, University of Montana; Lance Leipold, University at Buffalo; Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech University; Bobby Kennedy, Stanford University, ex officio member and chairman of the Assistant Coaches Committee; Van Malone, Kansas State University, ex officio member and chairman of the Minority Issues Committee; Michael Christensen, Lakewood (Calif.) High School, ex officio member and chairman of the High School Committee; and Mark McElroy, Saddleback College (Calif.), ex officio member and Junior College representative. Neal Brown from West Virginia University, Billy Napier from the University of Louisiana and Sam Pittman from the University of Arkansas are newly elected members of the Board this year. AFCA Executive Director Todd Berry serves as secretary-treasurer of the organization.
RELATED ARTICLE: Indiana’s Tom Allen Named 2020 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS National Coach Of The Year
Fitzgerald completed his 15th season as the head coach at Northwestern, guiding the Wildcats to a 7-2 overall record, a first-place finish in the Big Ten West Division and an appearance in the Big Ten championship game. Northwestern defeated Auburn in the Citrus Bowl, giving Fitzgerald his fourth straight bowl victory, and fifth overall. He is the winningest head coach in Northwestern history with 106 victories and has led the Wildcats to 10 bowl games. Fitzgerald earned Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year honors in 2020 and was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2018 after leading Northwestern to a Big Ten West Division title.
Northwestern has excelled academically under Fitzgerald. The Wildcats have ranked first or second in Graduation Success Rate for 10 straight years, and in 2019 became the first Power Five team to ever post a perfect GSR score. Northwestern has won 10 AFCA Academic Achievement Awards since the award’s inception in 1981, with six coming under Fitzgerald’s leadership.
Fitzgerald is also very active in community service. He and his players participate in several charitable events including: Northwestern Dance Marathon, Special Olympics, Misericordia, Uplifting Athletes and they make weekly school and children’s hospital visits. Fitzgerald was named Honorary Head Coach of the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for his dedication to community service.
Fitzgerald began his coaching career in 1998 as a graduate assistant at Maryland under Ron Vanderlinden, who was his defensive coordinator at Northwestern. In 1999, he became a graduate assistant at Colorado under his former head coach, Gary Barnett. Fitzgerald spent one season as the linebackers/special teams coach at Idaho before returning to his alma mater in 2001 as defensive backs coach. In 2006, he was named head coach at Northwestern after the unexpected death of head coach Randy Walker.
Fitzgerald was named to the AFCA Board of Trustees in 2012. He served as chairman of the AFCA Ethics Committee for seven years. Fitzgerald was a consensus All-American linebacker for Northwestern in 1995 and 1996 while also taking home the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik awards those same seasons.
For more information about the AFCA, visit www.AFCA.com. For more interesting articles, check out The Insider and subscribe to our weekly email.
If you are interested in more in-depth articles and videos, please become an AFCA member. You can find out more information about membership and specific member benefits on the AFCA Membership Overview page. If you are ready to join, please fill out the AFCA Membership Application.
