EAST LANSING – The Michigan State University Board of Trustees officially approved the hiring of Pat Fitzgerald at its Dec. 12 meeting.
Fitzgerald, who served as Northwestern’s head football coach from 2006 to 2023, was announced as the next Spartans coach on Monday, Dec. 1. A board vote finalized the process.
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“We recently welcomed a new Spartan to our global family, and the Board of Trustees today will consider formal approval of Pat Fitzgerald as our Spartan football head coach,” MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz said at the meeting. “He is a proven leader who understands the full mission of intercollegiate athletics, which includes academic excellence and the overall development of student-athletes in addition to competitive excellence.”
The board voted unanimously to approve the contract.
“If you saw him ignite the crowd in our Big Ten basketball season opener and put the puck down at the hockey game, you’d have no doubt about his passion for Michigan State and how excited we are for him,” Guskiewicz said. “So, a warm welcome to Coach Fitzgerald.”
Fitzgerald finished his tenure at Northwestern with a 110-101 record but was fired amid a bullying and sexual harassment scandal within the football program. An investigation found he had no knowledge of the hazing, and he settled with Northwestern. Terms of the settlement have not been made public.
New Michigan State football coach Pat Fitzgerald speaks to the crowd during a timeout during the first half of a Spartans basketball game against Iowa State at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
More: Michigan State University Board of Trustees votes on Pat Fitzgerald’s contract. Some benefits are included in the fine print
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Previous head coach Jonathan Smith was fired on November 30th. His two seasons with the Spartans ended with an overall record of 9-15. Missouri State’s five wins in 2024 and nine wins in 2022-23, Smith’s first year, were wiped out due to NCAA violations that occurred during former coach Mel Tucker’s tenure.
Fitzgerald’s contract with Michigan State University starts at $4 million, with an additional $1 million in supplemental income after each contract year. His contract runs until January 2031, but may be extended based on the success of the regular season.
– Contact Karly Graham at kgraham@lsj.com. Follow her on X @KarlyGrahamJrn.
This article originally appeared in the Lansing State Journal: Michigan State University Board of Trustees officially approves hiring of Pat Fitzgerald as football coach