Michigan State board formally approves hiring Pat Fitzgerald as football coach

EAST LANSING – The Michigan State University Board of Trustees formally approved the hiring of Pat Fitzgerald during its Dec. 12 meeting.

Fitzgerald, who was the Northwestern University head football coach from 2006-2023, was announced as the next Spartan coach on Monday, Dec. 1. The board's vote finalizes the process.

"We recently welcomed a new Spartan into our global family, and the board today will consider formal approval for Pat Fitzgerald to become our Spartan football head coach," MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said during the meeting. "He's a proven leader who understands the full mission of intercollegiate athletics, including academic achievement, and the holistic development of our student athletes, in addition to competitive excellence."

The board approved the contract with a unanimous vote.

"If you saw him firing up the crowd at our Big Ten basketball season opener, and dropping the puck at the hockey game, you'll have no doubt about his enthusiasm for Michigan State University, and our excitement about him," Guskiewicz said.
"So, a warm, Spartan welcome to Coach Fitzgerald."

Fitzgerald ended his tenure at Northwestern with a 110-101 record, though was fired due to a hazing and sexual harassment scandal within the football program. An investigation found that he did not know about the hazing, and he settled with Northwestern. The terms of the settlement have not been shared publicly.

More: MSU board to vote on Pat Fitzgerald's contract. Some perks included in the fine print

Previous head coach Jonathan Smith was fired on Nov. 30. He ended his two seasons with the Spartans with a 9-15 overall record. MSU's five wins in 2024 in Smith's first year, along with nine wins in 2022-23, were vacated due to NCAA violations that occurred during former coach Mel Tucker's tenure.

Fitzgerald's contract with Michigan State has an starting annual salary base of $4 million, with an added $1 million in supplemental income that rises after each contract year. His contract runs through January 2031, though could be extended depending on regular-season success.

– Contact Karly Graham at [email protected]. Follow her on X at @KarlyGrahamJrn.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU board formally approves hiring Pat Fitzgerald as football coach