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Pat Fitzgerald wins Day 1 with Michigan State. 'There will be no more motivated coach'
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- Pat Fitzgerald wins Day 1 with Michigan State. 'There will be no more motivated coach'
EAST LANSING, MI – He mentioned the school down the road without being asked. Twice.
Of course he did. Pat Fitzgerald is savvy like that. He knows where the soft spots are inside Michigan State .
Or rather, the soft spot, and when he concluded his introductory news conference Tuesday afternoon with a reference to Michigan football , well, you could feel Spartan Nation nod in recognition.
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It's good to be seen. Good to be heard, too.
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MSUs new football coach made sure he was both of those Tuesday, Dec. 2, in the lobby of the Tom Izzo Football Building. He made sure those who love the Green and White understood he understood the job.
"Every game is going to be a focus of victory and winning," he told the crowd of boosters, trustees, media and students, "but there's one game that just means a little bit more. … I'll just leave that one alone."
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He won't leave it alone at all, of course, and said as much during a post-news conference scrum a few doors down from the lobby.
"I understand what the fan base wants," he said. "They want a tough, physical team that represents this university the right way with great integrity and wins football games and makes everybody proud. Obviously, we know who our rival is. And our guys will know who our rival is every single day."
Sound familiar?
It should ... at least faintly. And while it's not as visceral as Mark Dantonio's "pride comes before the fall," Fitzgerald's acknowledgement of the Wolverines shows foundational awareness of the Spartans .
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That's a start, a step and a long way from Jonathan Smith , a thoroughly decent human being and a good football coach (hey, he won at Oregon State ) who might have bought himself a little more time if he'd been able to tap into MSU's psyche a bit more while selling his vision.
Or at least himself.
Fitzgerald's got that part down. He spoke from the podium with warmth and confidence, humor and passion, and even joked that sometimes he has to apologize for his passion — but not really.
"My line is, 'Pardon my passion,'" he said. "I think that's the way you have to attack the day."
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The coach is here; is the money?
That should sound familiar, too. And if you'll forgive the comparison, there used to be a coach in Ann Arbor who loved talking about attacking the day. He wore khakis. He won. Listen to Fitzgerald long enough and it's no wonder U-M was interested in hiring him after the failed Rich Rodriguez era.
Not that J Batt was worried about any of that. MSU's athletic director just wanted a coach who could up the intensity and help sell the vision.
"I continually focused on what I believe was in the best long-term interest of our program," Batt said of his search to replace Smith. "I wanted a coach who was a proven winner, a coach of integrity and intensity. Someone with a formula for success on the field and a plan of attack in a continually evolving landscape. Someone who could effectively and efficiently use the resources they were provided."
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Batt promised Fitzgerald there would be resources. So did school president Kevin Guskiewicz. It wasn't a coincidence on the same day the pair introduced their new football coach, the school announced a new fundraising effort: "FOR SPARTA: The Capital Initiative for MSU Athletics."
Guskiewicz called it a "bold course" meant to raise $1 billion to redo the east side of Spartan Stadium and renovate a handful of other sporting facilities and improve the fan experience. The football stadium needs a facelift, no doubt. And a new sheen would help the perception that MSU is serious.
But Fitzgerald won't have a chance without serious NIL funds. Money won't guarantee wins, but wins won't come without it. Not in this era.
[ MUST LISTEN: Reacting to the Pat Fitzgerald hire. Subscribe to the "Spartan Speak" podcast for new episodes on Apple , Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. ]
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Tradition and the promise of resources helped lure Fitzgerald to East Lansing, but so did the chance to coach in the Big Ten again — something he wasn't sure he'd ever do, not after losing his job at Northwestern over allegations of hazing in his football program.
A school investigation later cleared him. Fitzgerald sued. Northwestern settled — and issued an apology.
Coming out exonerated, he said, makes him feel "100% vindicated."
'No more motivated coach'
He choked up a couple times as he spoke Tuesday, talking about his wife and family and what they endured as he had to fight for his reputation, talking about where he stood, as the new MSU football coach, three seasons removed from the college game.
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He missed it. Dreamt about what it might feel like getting another shot. Visited programs to keep in touch. Took notes of the changing landscape.
"There will be no more motivated coach," he said.
Michigan State's new football coach Pat Fitzgerald, left, waits for the start of his introductory press conference with MSU athletic director J Batt, center, and Fitzgerald's wife Stacy on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at the Tom Izzo Football Building in East Lansing.
A few hours later, he took a seat behind MSU's bench at the Breslin Center for the Spartans' game against Iowa . Late in the first half, he took a mic and walked to the center of the court and told one of the rowdiest arenas in college basketball it could get louder.
Then said he was humbled by the opportunity.
"He's just on a mission," said Tom Izzo, who has known his new colleague a long time. "I think when you go through hell a little bit ... cool day for a guy who I think has some Michigan State qualities."
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No wonder Fitzgerald brought up rival Michigan. He knows the deal. He knows, too, that to beat the Wolverines they'll have to get a lot better, especially at the line of scrimmage, which is where he promised the rebuild would begin.
After that? Anything is possible, he believes.
"As I looked around the landscape and ... see some non-traditional powers that are playing for conference championships or maybe in the playoff conversation? You better believe Michigan State should be in that conversation. That's my job. That's why I'm here. That's the staff I'm going to bring."
Contact Shawn Windsor: swindsor@freepress.com . Follow him @shawnwindsor .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan State football coach Pat Fitzgerald feels '100% vindicated'
