Pat Fitzgerald has built a program in his likeness.
While the national perception of his employer and alma mater is that of a wealthy, private school known best for producing writers, business leaders, and scientists, its football team embodies the blue-collar, southside Irish values which shaped him. Though most of Northwestern's alumni base loves that he's thrown out the first pitch at Wrigley Field more than 10 times, the die-hard White Sox fan has built a team that plays more like Mike Singletary than Walter Payton, and will now play for a Big Ten title for the second time in three years.