[NU Sports] ESPN.com Article on Fitzgerald

[Jonathan Hodges]

I totally agree and was kind of set aback by that statement - and I
think that Fitz is on the same page as Walker in building consistency
in the program and going out there and being competitive and in the
mix of things in the Big Ten every year (which NU has proven over the
last 3 seasons).  I don't think we want to be a "flash in the pan"
followed by a downward spiral - i.e. the 1998 Barnett season (3-8, no
Big Ten wins at all).  While Walker did have his down years (2001 -
2003), NU always won at least 1 Big Ten game and Walker continued
building for the future.  I think that we would all accept this
situation over decades of losing records followed by one or two
seasons of greatness.

Obviously NU can't be an Ohio State, Michigan, or any other constant
top-10 team, and Fitz knows (and Walker knew) this and are building a
program suited for who the school is - something unique to the school
that needs to be brought out more often, not just trying to fit into
someone else's mold.

Jonathan

On 8/2/06, Evan Bradley <yevb0 at alumni.northwestern.edu> wrote:
> "Fitzgerald just has to be Gary Barnett ... Northwestern will accept
> some down years in order to wallow in every-now-and-then glory. It has
> to."
>
> I think he misses the point of what Walker was trying to do with the
> team, and why Murphy picked Fitz: consistency; there will be down
> years, of course, but getting six or seven wins and going to a bowl
> every season is the goal, not one or two (or no) wins with a fluke
> winning season every ten years.  I don't think we "[have] to" accept
> sub-mediocrity, though we shouldn't expect to be the new Michigan
> (actually, I don't think we want to be the "New Michigan"... ;)
>
> On 8/2/06, Jonathan Hodges <jonathanwhodges at gmail.com> wrote:
> > CBS Sportsline.com also has Fitz featured on the front page (with an
> > article by Dennis Dodd):
> >
> > http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball
> >
> > http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/9581746
> >
> > Jonathan
> >
> > On 8/1/06, John Labbe <johnl at mac.com> wrote:
> > > The feature story on the ESPN.com college football main page right now is about Fitz.  It's a new article including a few things I hadn't read before.
> > >
> > > http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/index
> > >
> > > Or if it's no longer the featured article on the main page, try here:
> > >
> > > http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=maisel_ivan&id=2536039
> > >
>


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Jonathan W. Hodges
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