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Report: Pat Fitzgerald agrees to lengthy contract extension
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Pat Fitzgerald isn’t going anywhere.
This time, however, there wasn’t any debate about whether or not Fitzgerald would leave Evanston for a traditional power.
According to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy, the Northwestern coach agreed to “at least” a 10-year contract extension:
Pat Fitzgerald has agreed to contract extension, keeping him at Northwestern for at least next 10 seasons, sources told @ESPN
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) April 24, 2017
That deal, as McMurphy said, will run “at least” through the 2026 season. That would give Fitzgerald the longest remaining contract of any B1G coach.
The financial terms of Fitzgerald’s contract are unknown. Northwestern doesn’t have to report Fitzgerald’s annual earnings as a private university.
According to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Fitzgerald’s assistant pool will remain competitive in the B1G.
The news doesn’t come as a big surprise. Fitzgerald’s 77 wins in 11 seasons are the most of any coach in Northwestern history.
The Wildcats also have a massive facilities upgrade underway that’s expected to be completed by January 2018.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.