Pat Fitzgerald, Former Nu Gridder

September 21, 1997|By Ken O'Brien.

Pat Fitzgerald, 22, grew up in Orland Park, where he attended nearby Carl Sandburg High School and played linebacker for the Eagles. He took those skills to the Northwestern Wildcats and became the heart and soul of a team that rose from object of ridicule to back-to-back Big 10 champion. Recently cut by the Dallas Cowboys, Fitzgerald came back to Orland Park to visit his family and alma mater.

Q. What memories do you have of playing high school football at Sandburg?

A. The thing I really remember is the first time I played a varsity game. I always dreamed of playing on Friday nights. I didn't start that first game at linebacker, I just played tight end. Halfway through the first quarter, our starting linebacker got hurt. I went in, and the rest is kind of history

Q. What will you remember about playing at Northwestern?

A. The first memory is going to Notre Dame my freshman year (1993). We weren't really ready to play physically or talentwise against a team like that, and we still gave it everything we had. (The final score was ND 27, NU 12.) At that point, I knew we were going somewhere, even though we didn't win the game or a lot of games that year.

Q. For most people in the Chicago area, their first memory of Northwestern's turnaround starts with the victory over Notre Dame in 1995. What will you remember from that game?

A. I think the one thing I will take away is the end of the game, when we finally knew we won the game. I can't even describe the feeling. We worked so hard to get to just have an opportunity to win that game, and then once we finally knew that we had won it, the weight of the world was off our shoulders and we proved to ourselves that we could win a big ball game. At that time, Notre Dame talked of winning a national championship, and to beat a team like that in their home stadium is something that I will never forget.

Q. What can you tell people about the Cowboys, especially given their bad-boy image?

A. It is nothing like that. I think they get a bad rap. The players down there are under a bigger microscope than anywhere else in the country. No matter what they do, they are under constant scrutiny.

Q. If you don't land with an NFL team, what will be in your future?

A. I hope my immediate future would be to go to graduate school and to be a graduate coaching assistant. I would love to stay at Northwestern and work with Coach (Gary) Barnett. He has given me such a great opportunity . . . and I'd like to be able to repay him by maybe coaching on his staff.

Q. Growing up in the Chicago area, what were your football loyalties?

A. I think any kid from the South Side who is Irish is a Notre Dame fan. . . . My allegiance quickly changed to being a Northwestern fan, and it will be for life.