Pat Fitzgerald’s 17-year run at his alma mater did not end well. The now former Northwestern football coach stumbled across the finish line, fired Monday in the wake of a sexualized hazing scandal inside the program.
Surprising? Yes, but probably shouldn’t be. The 48-year-old with the military haircut and old-school mentality joins the list of long-established coaches whose careers ended in controversy and chaos. Like them, Fitzgerald was so embedded into the football program that he became ingrown. When that happens, when a coach considers himself safely entrenched, and when staff and administration begin to worship him, well, can you say Joe Paterno?