NU Wildcats promote LB coach Pat Fitzgerald to the head coach position. Personally I'm very pleased. He was a key member of the Rose Bowl team in 1995. He also comes from Chi-town. He played at Carl Sandberg high school down in Orland park. More info below:

http://northwestern.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=559411

You are kidding yourself if you think this is more than a lost season. That was true even before the death.

Fitzgerald as coach creates continuity in the recruiting plan so that this does not become a lost cause for several years. He is a one year coach. I'm sure he knows it.

I don't think so, Dolphin. I agree with you that this year will likely be a struggle, but I expect Fitzgerald to be given more rope than that. He's one of the best players to ever wear purple in Evanston, he's got several years of assistant coaching under his belt, and despite his young age is very well respected in the Northwestern community. Even if they suck Illini style, I'd guess he's got a minimum of 2-3 years, then maybe you bring in the old veteran re-tread coach. I'm hoping he does well, but I think we'll have more than a one-season sample size. We'll see...

I agree - although I'd be surprised if he had any sustained success there, I think he'll be give 2-3 years to see what he can do.

I would hope they wouldn't judge the guy based solely on this season. Under the circumstances, it's ridiculous to expect a lot from this team. He should be given 2 years minimum.

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"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." ~ H.L. Mencken

He has not even been a coordinator yet. A Big Ten team giving a coach with this little experience a head coaching position is borderline criminal.

Can't argue that he was the sentimental favorite. Coach Walker was grooming the guy... he's even said it publicly. Of course it's too early to tell. He'll have some decent coordinators help him grow into the role. Walker had delegated alot in his tenure. I think Fitz can do the same initially. We'll wait and see.

We also have to understand that the school has to do the best thing for the long term health of the program. You have continuity with it being Walker's boy. You have a guy that has been the head of recruiting. You have a guy that is from Chicago. You have a guy that is one of the most popular NU football alums ever... a guy that bleeds purple!

And as far as this being a lost season, dolphin must be in the "it was all Basanez last year" camp. I admit we lost a powerful QB, but the offensive scheme can work well under CJ as well. Keep in mind that we still have the freshman phenom (now a sophomore), Tyrell Sutton in the backfield. I will give you that our defense is horrible... but it can't get worse than last year. We have an improving secondary as well.

Regardless, Cats are always predicted to be Big 10 doormats. I think they love the underdog label. I think they'll do better than you expect.

By the way... anyone want to bet who will have a better season this year... Illini or Da Cats?

NU needed everything to go well for them offensively in every game for them to win last year. I don't think it was all Basanez but I don't think a new QB will be able to run the offense immediately. This will be similar to the first two years of transition between kustok and basanez.

I agree, Dolphin. Too much talent in the Big 10 to skate by. Love this time of the year. Everyone's tied for first place!

Getting back to my question above... I don't know much about the Illini this year... you think they are going to be doormats this year?

And this is the crap that makes it virtually impossible for NU to compete consistently on a national level. Academic integrity apparently has no place in NCAA football.


http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/14/sports/ncaafootball/14auburn.html?ei=5094&en=81708bea2629f267&hp=&ex=1152936000&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1152890961-FqcW6v7YYR6FbNIfiR43Dg

If you think Northwestern is above diminishing it's academic integrity for a few extra wins in any sports, you are mistaken.

I agree. There are a lot of smart kids playing varsity sports at NU, but there's also a ton of athletes there who would have no chance of being admitted based on their academic qualifications alone...And I'm not even going to get into stories I've heard about the interesting "study" habits of many NU athletes. Let's just say that cheating is a way of life at most elite universities--for athletes and non-athletes.

Take it even further TM. I read a story in the Sun Times a few years ago about an athelete going to U of C who had a horrific ACT/SAT score.

I also remember reading something about Harvard hockey players.

I knew several people who played football at Ivy League schools (Cornell, Dartmouth and Brown) who would have had no chance at admission but for football.

I believe that you can read reports of liberal admission policies for atheletes dating back to the first days of intercollegiate athletics.

OK, can the Fitz love fest end this week? I liked Coach Walker and thought he was a standup guy. I was sorry for all those that like/follow the Wildcat program when I heard about his passing. The selection of Fitz makes alot of sense to take over the program. All of the call in shows have had their chance to talk to him at this point. It's time for him to focus on getting the team ready, rather than having hosts slobber all over him as starting a tradition at NU. The worst was M&M this morning - Greenberg must have said the story of the 1995 Rose Bowl ten to fifteen times in the interview (I'm exaggerating), and it got quite nauseating. Time to get to work Fitz.

Academic integrity is not just about grades. It's about giving the athletes a place to hide. In short, there aren't as many "blow-off classes at NU" that will allow you to complete a degree. I'm not saying we don't have our "Intro to Rock N Roll" classes, because they sure did when I was there. It's just much harder to skate by at NU than at some other schools. Take for instance, many of the University of Michigan football players get a degree in Kinesiology... a much much much easier 4 year path than you could ever find at NU. And don't get me started on the Buckeyes.

I don't have a list of majors but I assume you can get a degree in kineseolgy at NU. I never considered it to be a fluff degree unlike something like Parks and Recreation.

Northwestern has an ad hoc major option that effectively allows students to create their own degree programs and construct curriculums exclusively comprised of "blow-off" courses.

Additionally, NU football and basketball players also have access to tutors and "counselors", exam and paper files, and other forms of "academic support" that are not available to the student body at large.

NU's football program may have more integrity than Ohio State's, but the comparison itself is a case of "defining deviancy down", no?

Acutally, TM, all NU students have access to counselors, exams and paper files.



There's no comparing Northwestern's student athlete academic program with Ohio State's or any other Big 10 school . . . not even in the same league.

[quote="North Shore J
There's no comparing Northwestern's student athlete academic program with Ohio State's or any other Big 10 school . . . not even in the same league.[/quote]

I think TM's point is not to compare, it is to show that there really is no such thing as academic integrity in college sports. Some programs have more than others but all make special considerations for things unrelated to the real mission of the school.

Football players have special tutors and "counselors" hired just for them. And when I say "tutor", I am not talking about a bored math grad student sitting in his basement office helping kids with their 214 calculus homework for 20 minutes at a time. I am talking about people whose raison d'etre is to make sure that the football players (especially the good ones) stay eligible, no matter what. And don't compare the exam files on reserve at the library--I assume that's what you're talking about--to what the football players have at their disposal. There is very little similarity.

As far as the comparison between NU and OSU goes, I wasn't the one who introduced it. Everytime questions about NU's academic integrity arise, though, MUD seems to start talking about Ohio St. I wonder why he feels the need to do so in order to feel good about NU.... [/i]

You're right. I should ease off making fun of the Ohio State program. It's probably my subconcious remembering how poorly we were treated every time we went to the Horshoe in Columbus. It's not fair. And no football program is without reproach... NU included. However, I still stand by what I said before about less places to hide. The "ad hoc" major that TM refers to is indeed a less difficult path if you structure it correctly, but all the programs need to be approved by an independent faculty member that has no connection to the athletic program in which that student participates. There are strict guidelines on how that program is structured. I think you'll find that the requirements are much more strict than you allude to.

I have no problem with many of the accomodations that are given the student athlete. If you or anyone you know how difficult it is to be a NCAA Division One athlete, you know that it is a commitment like none other. Their "in season" schedules are horrendous. Tutors and access to study files help, but are by no means like giving the kid the answers.

As far as the NU football program, I still maintain that the academic integrity may be a myth, but THAT shouldn't make the effort to attain it any less noble. I've had conversations with the NU AD Murphy and I believe that his efforts to manage athletic success and academic success are pure. I applaud his efforts. College ain't just about grades... it's about learning. You can learn just as much on the field as in the classroom. I think alot of school's do a good job of managing both. However, when one dominates the other... then you have problems. Unfortunately, that may mean that you sacrifice some Big 10 titles and national championship hopes in the process.

And just to reiterate... I didn't mean to offend any Buckeye fans.

I am fully aware of how the ad hoc major option works. Faculty oversight exists, but is easily circumvented.



I have known many Division I athletes--and I think they have it pretty easy. They receive special treatment in every aspect of student life. I have also known many tutors of Division I athletes--at a variety of schools, I might add--and in a lot of cases, "tutoring" athletes does mean "giving the kid the answers".

....And just for the record, students can't learn as much on the playing field as they do in the classroom. To assert otherwise is to trivialize the value of the new ideas, analytical methods and forms of expertise students acquire from their professors.

I think this is a terrible spot for the guy to become a head coach. Their offensive coordinator, Dunbar, went to Cal. The new OC wouldn't get the head job because he just got there. Their defensive coordinator hasn't accomplished squat. Fitz may have been in grooming for the head job, but he hasn't been a coordinator and he isn't ready yet. He has zero offensive experience, a new QB and a new OC. That's not a good combination. They have a decent RB and a veteran OL so they have that going for them, which is nice. But it's hard to see their O performing anywhere near where they did the last few years with a veteran QB and a coaching staff well-versed in the system. And their D can't be expected to be much better than the mediocre to bad mess it's been for a few years. Can you say losing season? This is not a good spot for Fitz. One losing season could beget another one and a weak recruiting class begets another losing season and then bam....he has failed and his career is up in smoke because he was in the wrong spot at the wrong time.

I would expect the team to have a new look after this season, Perhaps to more of a pro set. Fitz has already alluded to this in interviews.

Fitz has the cards stacked against him. We had a starting lineman that just became academically ineligible. The OL was supposed to be a bright spot. We'll be lucky to go .500 this year, but that's what they said last year too.

Hawkeye Vince... you are absolutely right. I wouldn't be surprised to see more of a look like we saw in the Barnett years. How are the Hawkeyes gonna do this year? I think Ferentz's crew is going to do some amazing things this year.