SMQ: Are alma maters really the best destinations for head coaches?

ANN ARBOR, MI - OCTOBER 01: Michigan Wolverines head football coach leads his team onto the field prior to the start of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Michigan Stadium on October 1, 2016 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Michigan defeated Wisconsin 14-7. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Pat Fitzgerald and the Northwestern Wildcats

YEARS AT NORTHWESTERN AS PLAYER: 1993-1996
YEARS AT NORTHWESTERN AS COACH: 2006-present

Pat Fitzgerald took over in 2006 at his alma mater after Randy Walker’s sudden passing. Northwestern struggled at first, and the private institution is never going to be a perennial powerhouse. For Fitzgerald, though, the position has been a perfect fit that has benefitted both sides.

As a player, Fitzgerald was an imposing figure at linebacker who played a critical role in helping the Wildcats reach the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1949. He has not been able to replicate that level of brilliance in his dozen years on the other end of the job,

In his 12th season at the helm in Evanston, Fitzgerald has a chance to pull out a third-ever 10-win season for the Wildcats. He has been able to consistently do mare with less, and he was also a fair voice when his players went to the National Labor Relations board in an effort to unionize the company.

There have been overtures from other programs over the past decade, but Fitzgerald has been content to remain at the school where he got his degree. Few other programs offer that level of job security for minimal levels of success.

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