Former Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald is set to become a volunteer assistant coach at a Chicago-area private high school, The Record North Shore reported.
Fitzgerald, who was fired at Northwestern on July 10 following allegations of hazing within his football program, now will spend his time working within the football program at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill., a mere 6 miles from the Northwestern campus.
Two of Fitzgerald’s children attend Loyola Academy, while a third child, son Jack, graduated from the school and became a walk-on tight end for the Wildcats.
Fitzgerald’s Northwestern teams went 110-101 in 18 seasons as he became the winningest coach in the program’s history.
The 48-year-old reportedly went through sensitivity training and a background check and signed a code of conduct as is required of all Loyola Academy parent volunteers.
A Northwestern investigation ruled that there was not enough evidence to determine that Fitzgerald was aware of hazing within the program. The university hired Loretta Lynch, the former U.S. attorney general, to conduct an independent review of its athletics programs and culture.
The Ramblers of Loyola Academy are the reigning state Class 8A champions, the top division in Illinois.
–Field Level Media