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WATCH: Northwestern gives out exclusive No. 1 jersey to senior DB
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For some schools, jersey numbers don’t mean much.
The No. 23 at one university may mean absolutely nothing. To North Carolina, for example, it means everything.
At Northwestern, the No. 1 jersey is what every football player strives for. In order to get it, you have to earn it. Pat Fitzgerald believes that the No. 1 is not just given away.
Players have to work hard for it. And on Thursday, the No. 1 jersey was awarded ahead of the 2019 season:
We don’t give the number out in recruiting.
You can’t ask for it once you’re here.
You have to earn it in the eyes of your teammates by representing everything we believe in.
There can be only 1️⃣. #GoCats pic.twitter.com/rP4ra14Kr9
— Pat Fitzgerald (@coachfitz51) August 1, 2019
You can hear in the video just how much this means for not only senior DB Joe Bergin, but how much it means for the entire team. Bergin took a redshirt year in 2015 and has played for the Wildcats since.
In 2018, Bergin appeared in all 14 games for Northwestern and made 12 total tackles.
Kevin covers Big Ten football for Saturday Tradition.