Pat Fitzgerald introduced as Michigan State football coach: 'I grew up in the Big 10'

Full MSU Pat Fitzgerald press conference

Pat Fitzgerald was introduced Tuesday as the new Michigan State head football coach.

FOX 2 - Pat Fitzgerald made his debut Tuesday as Michigan State University's 27th head football coach in school history, describing himself as a Midwest guy, a Big 10 player who grew up on Big 10 football.

"It's an incredible honor for me to be here today," Fitzgerald said. "This program is storied with a deep tradition of a passionate fan base, a commitment to excellence that spans way beyond the football field and into the developing the young men."

What they're saying:

Fitzgerald, 51, was introduced on his birthday, and spoke about the opportunity to lead the Spartans back to the top of the Big 10. Michigan State lost eight of its last nine games to finish 4-8 this season.

"Michigan State has historically competed for Big Ten championships and my family, and I are grateful for the opportunity to make sure we get back to that place," he said. "We're going to build this for long-term success and we need everyone to buy in."

Although he never mentioned the University of Michigan by name, he made a brief reference to the rivalry's importance.

"Toughness was born here in Michigan State football, and every game is going to be a focus of victory and winning," he said. "But there's one game that just means a little bit more, doesn't it? I'll just leave that one alone.

"To the Spartan fans, the alumni, your passion is unmatched. I'm excited to earn your trust, to energize our program, and to build a team that you'll be proud to support every Saturday. I'm humbled for the opportunity. I'm fired up for the challenge, and I'm ready to get to work. It's just a great day to be a Spartan."

Fitzgerald was an All-America linebacker for the Wildcats and starred on the 1995 team that won the Big Ten and played in the Rose Bowl.

He was 110-101 in 17 seasons as Northwestern’s head coach. He led the Wildcats to Big Ten West championships in 2018 and 2020 and to five bowl victories. Over his final two seasons, though, Northwestern was 4-20.

Details and terms of Fitgerald's contract were not revealed today, but it is believed to be a five-year deal.

Smith’s overall record at MSU was 9-15 and just 4-14 in the Big Ten. Smith is due more than $30 million, according to terms of his seven-year contract.

Fitzgerald name-checked the usual MSU athletic royalty, talking about his existing friendship he and his wife have with former Spartan football coach Mark Dantonio as well as his meeting basketball coach Tom Izzo today.

One name he surprisingly mentioned was Jonathan Smith who he said he spoke with.

"I want to say thank you to my great friend Jonathan Smith. We had a great conversation yesterday," Fitzgerald said. "He is a terrific man, a terrific coach, and a great friend. And as I told the team this morning, I know how he feels, and I just want them to know. And I told that same thing for the coaching staff and the support staff. I'm here to help them through this transition as we move forward. And I expect it will move forward together."

Dig deeper:

Fitzgerald reached a settlement with Northwestern in August, two years after he sued the university amid a team hazing scandal that led to his firing following an investigation. Details of the settlement were not made public.

He was asked what he learned from his time at Northwestern with the reporter adding that Fitzgerald was exonerated when the dust cleared.

"You learn a lot. You learn a lot through every experience that you have as a leader. I absolutely love and adore the young man that I had the privilege to coach and those 17 great years," he said. "To come out fully exonerated and to see the statement that the university made the settlement that we had, came to an agreement with, you know, I just feel 100% vindicated.

"But you learn and you evolve. As I always said back at Northwestern and it'll be at team meetings here, about zero tolerance for a lot of different behaviors. There's definitely aspects and areas that we all have to work on. And that's all of our responsibilities. But (for me) it's the ultimate responsibility. And, that's definitely what I've learned."

Fitzgerald spoke about the changing landscape of college football and said he feels he's got a PHD in the new rule changes working with the sports podcast company 33rd Team and spending the past three years visiting with different coaches he is friends with on what he called, a "learning sabbatical."

21 OCT 1993: NORTHWESTERN PAT FITZGERALD SCANS THE OFFENSE FROM HIS LINEBACKER POSITION DURING THE 35-10 VICTORY OVER THE WISCONSIN BADGERS AT DYCHE STADIUM IN EVANSTON, ILLINOIS. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel/ALLSPORT

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"There were multiple coaches that are very good friends of mine that allowed me to go in and really intimately look under the hood on how they run their programs," he said.

Fitzgerald's excitement to be back at the helm of a Big 10 program was obvious after seeing the commitment by the university for its programs, he said.

"(It's) the choices and the decisions and the alignment and the resources that are going to be provided to our student athletes, to our assistant coaches, our program, to get this program back to a championship level," he said. "My excitement level just went up and up and up. And then to be a Big Ten player, you know, to be a player that's been in Spartan Stadium with a neck roll on, right? You know, to beat Michigan multiple times with a neck roll on, you know, this goes a long way back for me personally."