CHICAGO − Pat Fitzgerald is back in the Windy City. Only this time, he's wearing green instead of purple.
The first-year Michigan State football coach returned to his roots to speak at the Big Ten Media Days on Wednesday, July 29. Fitzgerald, a native of nearby Midlothian, Illinois, became an All-American and College Football Hall of Fame linebacker at Northwestern before going on to coach his alma mater from 2006-22. The Spartans hired him Dec. 1 to replace Jonathan Smith, who was fired after two seasons in East Lansing.
MSU is picked to finish 17th in the 18-team Big Ten in the USA Today preseason poll. The Spartans went 4-8 last season and are 33-38 overall and just 18-35 in conference games since Mark Dantonio retired after the 2019 season. They have missed a bowl game in five of those six seasons and have not played in the postseason since 2021.
Fitzgerald was 110-101 in his 17 seasons at Northwestern with a 65-76 Big Ten record and two West Division **** les. He was dismissed prior to the 2023 season.
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