Michigan's Whittingham, Michigan State's Fitzgerald Have Similar Missions in a Bitter Rivalry
Fitzgerald said LeVar Woods has been his right-hand man as Michigan State pushes for a Big Ten title after a winless stretch since 2021.
- On Wednesday, Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald returned to Big Ten Media Days at the Hilton Chicago, marking his first appearance in three years since departing Northwestern.
- Northwestern fired Fitzgerald in July 2023 following a hazing scandal; he later settled a $130 million wrongful termination lawsuit against the university in August 2025.
- During his absence, Fitzgerald volunteered at Loyola Academy and spent time with family, telling reporters, "I don't think I ever left" the game despite his departure.
- Fitzgerald declared a Big Ten championship the goal for the Spartans, preferring the term "rebirth" to "rebuild" and citing superior facilities compared to Evanston.
- Michigan State faces Northwestern on October 17, with Fitzgerald expecting the matchup to be "way overhyped in the media" as he focuses on winning.
22 Articles
22 Articles
LancasterOnline
Michigan's Whittingham, Michigan State's Fitzgerald have similar missions in a bitter rivalry
Pat Fitzgerald fought his way back to coaching in the Big Ten. Kyle Whittingham practically fell into it after 21 years at Utah. Now, they share similar missions in one of the fiercest rivalries in college sports. Fitzgerald is Michigan…
Omaha World-Herald
Columbus TelegramAhead of official Big Ten debut against Nebraska, Pat Fitzgerald relishes B1G return
Pat Fitzgerald is back in the Big Ten. The former Northwestern coach and current Michigan State one returned to Chicago like he never left during a lively media day.
Chicago Sun Times
Usa news siteMichigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald embracing his fresh start
Pat Fitzgerald wears an emerald tie these days and ends his press conferences with an enthusiastic "Go Green!"But his long, often successful tenure as a player and coach at Northwestern — which ended in an abrupt and ugly manner — still casts a long shadow.It's been three years since Fitzgerald was fired by the university amid a hazing scandal and a year after he settled a lawsuit with the school, which said its investigation did not find any ev…
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