Dennis Fitzgerald
Dennis Fitzgerald went 18–16 as a head coach, 1975–1977, at Kent State. Share
- Record
- 18–16 career
- Seasons
- 3
- Schools
- 1
- Final AP top 10
- 0 seasons
- Best season
- 1976 8–4
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Kent State | 4–7 | 8th | |||
| 1976 | Kent State | 8–4 | T–2nd | |||
| 1977 | Kent State | 6–5 | 6th |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 2 | 0–2 | 0% |
| Against rivals | 3 | 0–3 | 0% |
| Conference games | 24 | 12–12 | 50% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 13 | 7–6 | 54% |
| At home | 15 | 8–7 | 53% |
| On the road | 17 | 9–8 | 53% |
| At neutral sites | 2 | 1–1 | 50% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 23 | 16–7 | 70% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 11 | 2–9 | 18% |
His own 34 games on file, 1975–1977, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elliot Uzelac 1975–1977 | 3–0 | Western Michigan | 3 | |
| Bill Hess 1975–1977 | 1–2 | Ohio | 3 | |
| Dick Crum 1975–1977 | 1–2 | Miami (OH) | 3 | |
| Roy Kramer 1975–1977 | 1–2 | Central Michigan | 3 |
Dennis Fitzgerald’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Western Michiganseries | 3 | 3–0 |
| Toledoseries | 3 | 2–1 |
| Miami (OH)series | 3 | 1–2 |
| Ohioseries | 3 | 1–2 |
| Central Michiganseries | 3 | 1–2 |
| Northern Illinoisseries | 3 | 1–2 |
| Bowling Greenseries | 3 | 0–3 |
| Eastern Michiganseries | 2 | 2–0 |
Other roles
- Team MVP, Michigan 1960
From each season’s Wikipedia article.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1963–68 | Michigan | Assistant coach | |
| 1969–70 | Kentucky | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1971–74 | Kent State | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1975–77 | Kent State | Head coach | |
| 1978–80 | Syracuse | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1981 | Tulane | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1982–86 | Pittsburgh Steelers NFL | Linebackers coach | |
| 1987–88 | Pittsburgh Steelers NFL | Special teams coach | |
| 1992 | Las Vegas Aces | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1994–96 | Grand Valley State | Assistant coach | |
| 1995–96 | Albany Firebirds Arena | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1997 | James Madison | Assistant coach | |
| 1998–99 | Albany Firebirds Arena | Defensive coordinator |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Bump ElliottMichigan
- John RayKentucky
- Don JamesKent State
- Frank MaloneySyracuse
- Vince GibsonTulane
- Brian KellyGrand Valley State
- Tommy CondellAlbany Firebirds
- Alex WoodJames Madison
Assistants who became head coaches
- Gary PinkelToledo, Missouri
- Nick SabanToledo, Michigan State, LSU, Alabama, Miami Dolphins
- Ron BlackledgeKent State
Worked under (8)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bump Elliott | Michigan | 1963–68 | Assistant coach | |
| John Ray | Kentucky | 1969–70 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Don James | Kent State | 1971–74 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Frank Maloney | Syracuse | 1978–80 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Vince Gibson | Tulane | 1981 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Brian Kelly | Grand Valley State | 1994–96 | Assistant coach | |
| Tommy Condell | Albany Firebirds pro | 1996 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Alex Wood | James Madison | 1997 | Assistant coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (3)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gary Pinkel | Kent State, 1975: graduate assistant | Toledo, Missouri | |
| Nick Saban | Kent State, 1975–76: linebackers coach | Toledo, Michigan State, LSU, Alabama, Miami Dolphins | |
| Ron Blackledge | Kent State, 1977: offensive coordinator | Kent State |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.