Dennis Fitzgerald
Encyclopedia
Joseph Dennis Fitzgerald (March 13, 1936 – January 14, 2001) was an American
Freestyle wrestler
and football
player and coach. Fitzgerald played college football
as a halfback
at the University of Michigan
and was selected as named the most valuable player on the 1960 Michigan Wolverines football team
. He holds the University of Michigan record for the longest kickoff return at 99 yards. Fitgerald also competed as a wrestler, winning Big Ten Conference
championships in 1960 and 1961 and winning a gold medal representing the United States as the 1963 Pan American Games
in São Paulo
, Brazil
.
Fitzgerald spent more than 35 years working as a football coach for several university and professional football teams. He held assistant coaching positions at, among others, the University of Michigan, University of Kentucky
, Syracuse University
, Tulane University
and Grand Valley State University
. He was the head football coach at Kent State University
from 1975 to 1977 and spent seven years (1982–1988) as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers
under head coach Chuck Noll
. His final coaching position was as the defensive coordinator for the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League.
, Fitzgerald graduated from St. Thomas High School in 1954. He served in the United States Marine Corps
from 1954 to 1957. He was a member of the Camp LeJeune wrestling team in 1956 and 1957.
where he walked on as a 5 foot, 9 inch halfback. He was a starting halfback for Michigan
in 1959 and 1960. In October 1960, Fitzgerald had a 99-yard kickoff return against Michigan State
. He set the record for the longest kickoff return in University of Michigan history, though Tyrone Wheatley
tied the record in September 1992 against Houston
. Fitzgerald was among the last American football players to play the game wearing a leather helmet with no face guard. He also ran five miles a day to warm up and developed a reputation as "Michigan's hardest working football player." In October 1960, he came down with a sudden illness that reduced his efficiency in Michigan's 1960 victory over Duke
. He caught a touchdown pass in the game but reported that he was not feeling well. The team doctor, Dr. A.W. Coxon, told head coach Bump Elliott
, "Denny is just plain tired, and that may have made him more susceptible to the virus.'" Elliott noted at the time, "I can understand it. He never gives anything less than all he's got. It's hard to keep up a pace like that and not suffer." Fitzgerald was named the most valuable player on the 1960 Michigan Wolverines football team
. He was a member of the Michigan Wolverines
football and wrestling teams.
team from 1959 to 1961. In 1960 and 1961, he was also the Big Ten wrestling champion at 177 pounds. He was also the runner up in the 1959 Big Ten championship at 167 pounds, an NCAA semifinalist in 1960 and 1961, an AAU national finalist in 1961, and the AAU runner up in 1963. He was captain of Michigan's wrestling team during his junior and senior years. He continued to participate in amateur wrestling even after receiving his degree at Michigan. He won a gold medal representing the United States as the 1963 Pan American Games
in São Paulo, and also participated in the 1963 World Games in Bulgaria.
Fitzgerald received his master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1963.
(1969–1970), and Kent State University
(1971–1974). In January 1975, Fitzgerald replaced Don James as Kent State's head football coach. In three years as head coach, Fitzgerald compiled a record of 18–16 which is the 3rd best winning percentage of any coach in Kent State football history. The highlight of his brief head coaching tenure was rebounding from a difficult 4-7 transitional year to an unpredicted 8-4 season in 1976 after being picked by most prognosticators to finish well below .500 that season. The Kent State players responded well to his passion, honesty, and toughness. "He's a man's man" was one of his highest compliments and fit him perfectly.
In March 1978, Fitzgerald resigned his position at Kent State to become an assistant coach at Syracuse University
. Fitzgerald remained with Syracuse
as linebackers coach and defensive coordinator for three years from 1978 to 1980.
In March 1981, Fitzgerald was hired as the defensive coordinator for Tulane University
.
In July 1982, Fitzgerald was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers
following an interview with head coach Chuck Noll
. The Pittsburgh Press described the hiring as follows:
Fitzgerald spent nine years as an assistant coach under Noll, serving as the linebackers coach from 1982 to 1986 and special tams coach from 1987 to 1988. He came within one game of the Super Bowl
in 1984, when the Steelers lost to the Miami Dolphins
in the AFC Championship Game. After the Steelers gave up six blocked punts in the 1988 NFL season, Fitzgerald was fired from the Steelers' coaching staff in January 1989.
When Jack Lambert was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
in 1990, he asked Fitzgerald to present him at the induction ceremony. Lambert said, "I chose coach Fitzgerald because I felt he, more than anyone else, taught me the techniques and the fundamentals that I used throughout college and professional football. But even more importantly, he took a raw talent and raw toughness in me and refined them into a mental discipline; a discipline that is necessary to excel."
After leaving the Steelers, Fitzgerald was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Las Vegas Aces in the Professional Spring Football League starting in 1992, and the Cleveland Thunderbolts
in the Arena Football League.
In 1994, Fitzgerald served as the defensive line coach at Grand Valley State University
. He continued to coach at Grand Valley through the 1996 season.
Fitzgerald was the defensive coordinator for the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League from 1995 to 1996 and 1998 to 1999. During the 1995 and 1996 seasons, Fitzgerald continued to coach at Grand Valley in the fall while coaching with the Firebirds during the spring and summer.
In between stints with the Firebirds, Fitzgerald spent the 1997 season as defensive coordinator for the James Madison Dukes
. Shortly after he was hired at James Madison, the Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote, "So last winter, when James Madison coach Alex Wood sought a zero-tolerance coordinator who could firm up a defense that turned flaccid over the past two seasons, he called Fitzgerald, who's 61 going on 35."
Due to his illness, Fitzgerald was forced to retire before the 2000 season. He died in January 2001 at his home in Allison Park, Pennsylvania
. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, five daughters (Maureen, Molly, Margaret, Katharine and Eileen), and a son, Timothy .
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Freestyle wrestler
Freestyle wrestling
Freestyle wrestling is a style of amateur wrestling that is practised throughout the world. Along with Greco-Roman, it is one of the two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic games. It is, along with track and field, one of the oldest organized sports in history...
and football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player and coach. Fitzgerald played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
as a halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and was selected as named the most valuable player on the 1960 Michigan Wolverines football team
1960 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1960 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1960 college football season. The team's head coach was Bump Elliott...
. He holds the University of Michigan record for the longest kickoff return at 99 yards. Fitgerald also competed as a wrestler, winning Big Ten Conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
championships in 1960 and 1961 and winning a gold medal representing the United States as the 1963 Pan American Games
1963 Pan American Games
The 4th Pan American Games were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963 in São Paulo, Brazil.- Medal count :To sort this table by nation, total medal count, or any other column, click on the icon next to the column title.Note...
in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Fitzgerald spent more than 35 years working as a football coach for several university and professional football teams. He held assistant coaching positions at, among others, the University of Michigan, University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
, Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
, Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
and Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...
. He was the head football coach at Kent State University
Kent State University
Kent State University is a public research university located in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university has eight campuses around the northeast Ohio region with the main campus in Kent being the largest...
from 1975 to 1977 and spent seven years (1982–1988) as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
under head coach Chuck Noll
Chuck Noll
Charles Henry "Chuck" Noll is a former professional American football player and coach, and a member of the Sid Gillman coaching tree. He served most notably as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1969 to 1991...
. His final coaching position was as the defensive coordinator for the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League.
Early years
A native of Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Fitzgerald graduated from St. Thomas High School in 1954. He served in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
from 1954 to 1957. He was a member of the Camp LeJeune wrestling team in 1956 and 1957.
Football
After being discharged from the Marines, Fitzgerald enrolled at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
where he walked on as a 5 foot, 9 inch halfback. He was a starting halfback for Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
in 1959 and 1960. In October 1960, Fitzgerald had a 99-yard kickoff return against Michigan State
Michigan State Spartans football
The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...
. He set the record for the longest kickoff return in University of Michigan history, though Tyrone Wheatley
Tyrone Wheatley
Tyrone Anthony Wheatley is the running backs coach at Syracuse University and a former professional American football player who played 10 seasons in the National Football League and was one of the most successful high school and collegiate athletes in Metropolitan Detroit history...
tied the record in September 1992 against Houston
Houston Cougars football
The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" . The UH football program is currently a member of the Conference USA intercollegiate athletic conference, and is coached by...
. Fitzgerald was among the last American football players to play the game wearing a leather helmet with no face guard. He also ran five miles a day to warm up and developed a reputation as "Michigan's hardest working football player." In October 1960, he came down with a sudden illness that reduced his efficiency in Michigan's 1960 victory over Duke
Duke Blue Devils football
The Duke Blue Devils football program is a college football team that represents Duke University . The team is currently a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference , which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Blue Devils compete in the Coastal...
. He caught a touchdown pass in the game but reported that he was not feeling well. The team doctor, Dr. A.W. Coxon, told head coach Bump Elliott
Bump Elliott
Chalmers W. "Bump" Elliott is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played halfback at Purdue University and the University of Michigan...
, "Denny is just plain tired, and that may have made him more susceptible to the virus.'" Elliott noted at the time, "I can understand it. He never gives anything less than all he's got. It's hard to keep up a pace like that and not suffer." Fitzgerald was named the most valuable player on the 1960 Michigan Wolverines football team
1960 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 1960 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1960 college football season. The team's head coach was Bump Elliott...
. He was a member of the Michigan Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
football and wrestling teams.
Wrestling
Fitzgerald was also a member of the Michigan Wolverines wrestlingCollegiate wrestling
Collegiate wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the collegiate and university level in the United States. Collegiate wrestling emerged from the folk wrestling styles practised in the early history of the United States...
team from 1959 to 1961. In 1960 and 1961, he was also the Big Ten wrestling champion at 177 pounds. He was also the runner up in the 1959 Big Ten championship at 167 pounds, an NCAA semifinalist in 1960 and 1961, an AAU national finalist in 1961, and the AAU runner up in 1963. He was captain of Michigan's wrestling team during his junior and senior years. He continued to participate in amateur wrestling even after receiving his degree at Michigan. He won a gold medal representing the United States as the 1963 Pan American Games
1963 Pan American Games
The 4th Pan American Games were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963 in São Paulo, Brazil.- Medal count :To sort this table by nation, total medal count, or any other column, click on the icon next to the column title.Note...
in São Paulo, and also participated in the 1963 World Games in Bulgaria.
Fitzgerald received his master's degree from the University of Michigan in 1963.
Coaching career
Fitzgerald was an assistant football coach at Michigan (1963–1968), the University of KentuckyKentucky Wildcats football
The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...
(1969–1970), and Kent State University
Kent State Golden Flashes football
The Kent State Golden Flashes football team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, USA. The team is a member of the Mid-American Conference East division, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Football Bowl Subdivision...
(1971–1974). In January 1975, Fitzgerald replaced Don James as Kent State's head football coach. In three years as head coach, Fitzgerald compiled a record of 18–16 which is the 3rd best winning percentage of any coach in Kent State football history. The highlight of his brief head coaching tenure was rebounding from a difficult 4-7 transitional year to an unpredicted 8-4 season in 1976 after being picked by most prognosticators to finish well below .500 that season. The Kent State players responded well to his passion, honesty, and toughness. "He's a man's man" was one of his highest compliments and fit him perfectly.
In March 1978, Fitzgerald resigned his position at Kent State to become an assistant coach at Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
. Fitzgerald remained with Syracuse
Syracuse Orange football
The Syracuse Orange football program is a college football team that represents Syracuse University. The team is a member of the Big East Conference, which is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I conference that is part of the Football Bowl Subdivision...
as linebackers coach and defensive coordinator for three years from 1978 to 1980.
In March 1981, Fitzgerald was hired as the defensive coordinator for Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
.
In July 1982, Fitzgerald was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
following an interview with head coach Chuck Noll
Chuck Noll
Charles Henry "Chuck" Noll is a former professional American football player and coach, and a member of the Sid Gillman coaching tree. He served most notably as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1969 to 1991...
. The Pittsburgh Press described the hiring as follows:
"Noll interviewed Dennis Fitzgerald, a 46-year-old coach from Tulane with 21 years of experience in the college ranks, at 9 a.m., hired him on the spot, and put him immediately to work. He's to coach the linebackers, one of whom, All-Pro Jack Lambert when Fitzgerald was an assistant at Kent State."
Fitzgerald spent nine years as an assistant coach under Noll, serving as the linebackers coach from 1982 to 1986 and special tams coach from 1987 to 1988. He came within one game of the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
in 1984, when the Steelers lost to the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the AFC Championship Game. After the Steelers gave up six blocked punts in the 1988 NFL season, Fitzgerald was fired from the Steelers' coaching staff in January 1989.
When Jack Lambert was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
in 1990, he asked Fitzgerald to present him at the induction ceremony. Lambert said, "I chose coach Fitzgerald because I felt he, more than anyone else, taught me the techniques and the fundamentals that I used throughout college and professional football. But even more importantly, he took a raw talent and raw toughness in me and refined them into a mental discipline; a discipline that is necessary to excel."
After leaving the Steelers, Fitzgerald was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the Las Vegas Aces in the Professional Spring Football League starting in 1992, and the Cleveland Thunderbolts
Cleveland Thunderbolts
The Cleveland Thunderbolts were a professional American football team in the Arena Football League.-Columbus Thunderbolts:Established as the Columbus Thunderbolts and playing its home games at the Ohio Expo Center Coliseum, the team relocated to Cleveland after a winless single season in the Arena...
in the Arena Football League.
In 1994, Fitzgerald served as the defensive line coach at Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University
Grand Valley State University is a public liberal arts university located in Allendale, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1960, and its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids...
. He continued to coach at Grand Valley through the 1996 season.
Fitzgerald was the defensive coordinator for the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League from 1995 to 1996 and 1998 to 1999. During the 1995 and 1996 seasons, Fitzgerald continued to coach at Grand Valley in the fall while coaching with the Firebirds during the spring and summer.
In between stints with the Firebirds, Fitzgerald spent the 1997 season as defensive coordinator for the James Madison Dukes
James Madison Dukes football
The James Madison Dukes football team, founded in 1972, plays at Bridgeforth Stadium. Originally called JMU Stadium, it was renamed for William E. Bridgeforth in 1990. The JMU football team was rarely the centerpiece of JMU sports until the hiring of Mickey Matthews in 1999...
. Shortly after he was hired at James Madison, the Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote, "So last winter, when James Madison coach Alex Wood sought a zero-tolerance coordinator who could firm up a defense that turned flaccid over the past two seasons, he called Fitzgerald, who's 61 going on 35."
Death and family
He was diagnosed with lymphoma before the 1999 season, but remained with the team as he underwent chemotherapy treatments. The Firebirds won the Arena Bowl in 1999, Fitzgerald's last year as a coach. His wife later said, "It was his last year of coaching, and he underwent radiation treatment and never missed a day of practice. When he retired in 1999, he already had lymphoma for eight months."Due to his illness, Fitzgerald was forced to retire before the 2000 season. He died in January 2001 at his home in Allison Park, Pennsylvania
Allison Park, Pennsylvania
Allison Park is a census-designated place in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. It is a suburb of Pittsburgh and is located within Hampton, Shaler and McCandless townships. It had a population of 21,552 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, five daughters (Maureen, Molly, Margaret, Katharine and Eileen), and a son, Timothy .