EVANSTON — Most of the players have left the field after practice, and Pat Fitzgerald paces on the periphery of Ryan Fieldhouse, wasting no motion on turf so new it’s dusty. He picks up a ball of stray athletic tape he sees near the door, and promptly tosses it in the trash. He turns back for his post-practice media responsibility, the next of many engagements he has on this sunny April day.
On a day many deemed a celebration and showcase for Northwestern’s freshly-minted lakeside athletics facility, Fitzgerald doesn’t bask in the glitz of the expansive, crisp field or the glimmer of the Lake Michigan waves outside the massive window panels.