Fitz 100 victories video

[rogerkim]

I got goosebumps as I watched this and remembered all those memorable games.

Hard not to love a guy who clearly loves our school and our football program this much...

Congrats again, Fitz! So proud that you are our coach and that you represent us so well!

 

[mickbula]

I hope he's our hc for another 30 yrs! Maybe we can rename the road by the new facility/aquatics center Fitzgerald drive when he retires??

 

[DaCat]

It's amazing to watch how Fitz has evolved as a coach over the years. Many great players have failed when they went into coaching, but Fitz is a natural. The best thing, besides winning, is the integrity and the high quality of the program that makes one proud to be Cat. Hope to be around when Fitz gets to 200, and then 300 victories. Should only take about 20 years or less.

 

[rogerkim]

It's amazing to watch how Fitz has evolved as a coach over the years. Many great players have failed when they went into coaching, but Fitz is a natural. The best thing, besides winning, is the integrity and the high quality of the program that makes one proud to be Cat. Hope to be around when Fitz gets to 200, and then 300 victories. Should only take about 20 years or less.

I think he was a natural as a recruiter - this is probably the key to his success overall. But he certainly has evolved as a coach over time. Earlier on in his coaching career, I was of the opinion that he left a lot to be desired as an "in-game manager", whether in terms of clock management (lots of missteps early on), half-time adjustments (didn't seem to adjust appropriately), or key decisions (4th down especially - I love how he has become more aggressive in this over time). He improved in each of these areas. The only remaining gripe I had was his unflinching loyalty to his coaching staff...and well, we know what happened there.

I truly hope (and think there is a good chance) that Fitz will be our version of Bowden, Osborne, Paterno (minus the scandal) or any of the other long-tenured successful coaches at other schools over the years.