Dan Fitzgerald

{{For|the fictional character|Daniel Fitzgerald (Neighbours)}}

{{short description|American college basketball player}}

{{Infobox college coach

| name = Dan Fitzgerald

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date |1942|3|3}}

| birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2010|1|19|1942|3|3}}

| death_place = Spokane, Washington, U.S.

| alma_mater = Cal State, Los Angeles

| coach_years1 = 196x–1968

| coach_team1 = Daniel Murphy HS (JV)

| coach_years2 = 1968–1971

| coach_team2 = Archbishop Mitty HS

| coach_years3 = 1971–1972

| coach_team3 = Santa Clara (freshmen)

| coach_years4 = 1972–1974

| coach_team4 = Gonzaga (assistant)

| coach_years5 = 1975–1978

| coach_team5 = Santa Clara (assistant)

| coach_years6 = 1978–1981

| coach_team6 = Gonzaga

| coach_years7 = 1985–1997

| coach_team7 = Gonzaga

| admin_years1 = 1978–1997

| admin_team1 = Gonzaga

| overall_record = 252–171 ({{Winning percentage|252|171}})

| bowl_record =

| tournament_record = 0–1 (NCAA Division I)
1–2 (NIT)

| championships =

• WCC tournament (1995)
• 2 WCC regular season (1994, 1996)

| awards =

• 2× WCC Coach of the Year (1981, 1994)
• State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame

| coaching_records =

}}

Daniel John Fitzgerald (March 3, 1942 – January 19, 2010) was an American college basketball coach and athletic director at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

Fitzgerald was the head coach at Gonzaga for 15 seasons between 1978 and 1997 (except for 1981 to 1985) with an overall record of 252–171 ({{winning percentage|252|171}}). He led the Bulldogs to their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 1995,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2dhYAAAAIBAJ&pg=6399%2C4583757 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=Slipper fits Gonzaga |last=Boling |first=Dave |date=March 7, 1995 |page=C1}} after leading them to their first post-season tournament, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1994, where they won at Stanford in the first round.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PHQfAAAAIBAJ&pg=4643%2C5369154|newspaper=Spokesman-Review|last=Boling |first=Dave |title=Zags prove they belong |date=March 18, 1994|page=C1}} They had narrowly missed an NIT selection the previous two seasons.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UV5WAAAAIBAJ&pg=6666%2C4580217|newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Blanchette |first=John |title=NIT snub frustrates Zags |date=March 16, 1992|page=C3}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ql1WAAAAIBAJ&pg=5182%2C4008001|newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=Area schools snubbed |date=March 15, 1993 |page=C1}} Gonzaga returned to the NIT in 1996.

Among his recruits was future Basketball Hall of Fame member John Stockton, out of Gonzaga Prep in 1980.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19800407&id=pvtLAAAAIBAJ&pg=6869,3072293 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=Stockton to enroll at Gonzaga |last=Goodwin |first=Dale |date=April 7, 1980 |page=23}}{{cite news|url=http://seattletimes.com/html/budwithers/2010846071_withers21.html |last=Withers |first=Bud |title=Dan Fitzgerald, the wisecracking coach who built Gonzaga's foundation, dies |date=January 20, 2010 |accessdate=January 4, 2014 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104205434/http://seattletimes.com/html/budwithers/2010846071_withers21.html |archivedate=January 4, 2014 }}{{cite news |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010840219_apbkcobitfitzgerald.html |title=Longtime Gonzaga coach Dan Fitzgerald dies at 67 |newspaper=Seattle Times |date=January 20, 2010 |accessdate=January 21, 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100123154441/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010840219_apbkcobitfitzgerald.html |archivedate=January 23, 2010 }} Fitzgerald was also responsible for hiring coaches Mark Few, Dan Monson, and Bill Grier to Gonzaga.{{cite news|url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/jan/20/former-gu-coach-fitzgerald-dies/|newspaper=Spokesman-Review|last=Blanchette |first=John |title=Former GU coach Fitzgerald dies|date=January 20, 2010|accessdate=January 4, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.gonzagabulletin.com/article_e90f3879-c03a-500e-bd02-ecb47f166569.html|publisher=Gonzaga Bulletin |first=Zach |last=Stratton |title=Dan Fitzgerald 1942-2010

|date=January 21, 2010 |accessdate=January 4, 2014}} His win total was a school record until Few passed him in 2009.

Prior to his hiring in April 1978, Fitzgerald was an assistant coach for three seasons at Santa Clara, with a previous two-year stint as an assistant at Gonzaga under Adrian Buoncristiani, a high school teammate whom Fitzgerald ultimately succeeded. In between, he worked in the private sector for a year. At Gonzaga, his first season as head coach was their final year in the Big Sky Conference.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19780417&id=Jq4SAAAAIBAJ&pg=5401,213569 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Gonzaga picks Dan Fitzgerald |date=April 17, 1978 |page=17}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=o0pOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6216%2C6113664|newspaper=Spokesman-Review|last=Missildine |first=Harry |title=Fitz: 'That reminds me...' |date=November 29, 1978|page=C1 }} Shortly after his arrival in Spokane, "Fitz" stated he was a strong proponent of moving out of the Big Sky to the WCAC.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1DFOAAAAIBAJ&pg=5366%2C2658720 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Missildine |first=Harry |title=Gonzaga scans conference switch |date=June 6, 1978 |page=19 }} After becoming part-owner of the Spokane Indians, athletic director (and former baseball coach) Larry Koentopp resigned in the fall of 1978 and Fitzgerald took on the AD position as well.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GgNMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5660%2C3544003 |newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=AD named |date=October 13, 1978 |page=24 }}

Following his third year as head coach, Fitzgerald stepped down in 1981 to focus his efforts as athletic director and hired assistant and GU alumnus Jay Hillock as head coach.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uFZOAAAAIBAJ&pg=1713%2C701998

|newspaper=Spokane Daily Chronicle |title=Hillock gets Gonzaga job |date=March 4, 1981 |page=21}} Hillock resigned after four seasons in April 1985 and Fitzgerald returned to coach the Bulldogs.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vlhWAAAAIBAJ&pg=3408%2C1946330 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title='I'm just looking for a change' |last=Blanchette |first=John |date=April 4, 1985 |page=C1}} After making it to the NCAA Tournament a decade later, he announced in 1995 that he planned to coach two more seasons and promote Monson, a GU assistant since 1988, to head coach.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=u2NWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6538%2C6434144 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=Fitzgerald will pass off to Monson in 1997 |last=Boling |first=Dave |date=November 8, 1995 |page=C1}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=u3BXAAAAIBAJ&pg=1787%2C2589371 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=All the right moves |last=Blanchette |first=John |date=January 5, 1997 |page=C1}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TFZWAAAAIBAJ&pg=2774%2C3790482 |title=Stockton's mentor retiring at Gonzaga |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |date=February 15, 1997|page=6D}}

After 19 years as athletic director, Fitzgerald resigned in December 1997,{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Z9YjAAAAIBAJ&pg=4726%2C2356660|newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Bergum |first=Steve |title=Fitzgerald leaves GU under fire |date=December 23, 1997 |page=A1}} and was succeeded by Mike Roth.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1314&dat=19980910&id=8WJWAAAAIBAJ&pg=5517,7100237 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=Roth no longer just 'acting' |last=Bergum |first=Steve |date=September 10, 1998|page=C5}} Fitzgerald then worked in private business in the Spokane area.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=84dXAAAAIBAJ&pg=6303%2C6203327 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |last=Bergum |first=Steve |title=Fitz has cheered from afar |date=March 9, 1999|page=C4}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BmdWAAAAIBAJ&pg=4601%2C1254933 |newspaper=Spokesman-Review |title=Company lands super shirt deal |date=February 2, 2006 |page=B1 }} He died in Spokane at age 67 after an apparent heart attack on January 19, 2010.{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-passings21-2010jan21-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|title=Passings: Dan Fitzgerald |date=January 21, 2010 |access-date=January 4, 2014}}

Fitzgerald was also responsible for Gonzaga being put on four years of probation for keeping an illegal slush fund for recruiting purposes, hiding almost $200,000 from the NCAA. The NCAA investigators agreed that Gonzaga did not gain a competitive advantage from use of the money, since the totals spent on recruiting fell within NCAA guidelines.

Born in San Francisco, California, Fitzgerald went to high school at St. Ignatius and graduated in 1959,{{Cite web |title= 00000048 by SiPrep|url=https://siprep.slickpic.com/albums/_1959/photos/10882502/00000048/?squared}} then attended college at Santa Clara and San Francisco State, and graduated from Cal State, Los Angeles. Prior to coaching at the college level, Fitzgerald was a high school coach and English teacher in California at Daniel Murphy (St. John Vianney) in Los Angeles and Archbishop Mitty (1968–1971) in San Jose.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=50JYAAAAIBAJ&pg=5358%2C1512262 |newspaper=Spokane Chronicle |title=Dan Fitzgerald |date=November 24, 1988 |page=6H}}