Mike Fitzgerald takes ‘special’ opportunity with Marist

Mike Fitzgerald didn’t look for change after leading York to back-to-back historic seasons and finding a spot where he was completely happy.

Sometimes life has other plans.

Fitzgerald prepared to build off back-to-back semifinal appearances when Marist offered him an opportunity to go back where his high school coaching career started. Returning to the RedHawks never seemed like it would be in the cards, but once Fitzgerald thought about the great memories he had at the school and how special going back would be, Fitzgerald knew he needed to take this unexpected turn.

Fitzgerald accepted the Marist job at the end of last week.

“It was an incredibly difficult decision because of how much I care about York, the kids, the program, the administration, everybody,” Fitzgerald said. “It was hard to dissect that in a short amount of time, but ultimately I just had to keep thinking about what was best for my family and I. The Marist opportunity was pretty special.”

That unexpected opportunity came after Marist coach Ron Dawczak stepped down from the program in mid-December after seven seasons as its head coach. Dawczak wanted to spend more time with his family after dedicating himself to Marist, leading it to three Class 8A semifinal appearances and a 56-24 record.

Despite leaving the program in 2013 after spending six seasons as its offensive coordinator, Fitzgerald still kept in contact with some people at Marist, who reached out over the holiday break to see if he was interested in the job.

Fitzgerald found himself with an unexpected tough decision. He was proud of what he built at York over the last six seasons, turning around a Dukes program that hadn’t had a winning season since 2011 to one that reached the semifinals for the first time in two straight years and had its first undefeated regular season in 2022.

“It was an incredibly difficult decision because of how much I care about York, the kids, the program, the administration, everybody. It was hard to dissect that in a short amount of time, but ultimately I just had to keep thinking about what was best for my family and I. The Marist opportunity was pretty special.”

—  Mike Fitzgerald, Marist coach

But Fitzgerald saw the opportunity as a way to continue a strong tradition of winning at Marist that he helped start with former college roommate and Marist coach Pat Dunne.

“The resources, investments, and improvements that the leadership at Marist has made to academics and athletics since I left is incredible,” Fitzgerald said. “It really shows their commitment to their students. Pair that with my previous relationship with the school and I just felt like the opportunity in front of me was pretty unique and something I felt like I couldn’t pass on.”

Fitzgerald first came to Marist in 2008 when Dunne convinced him to leave college football coaching and join his staff with the RedHawks. He put together an offense that helped Marist reach the Class 8A state-title game in 2009 and the playoffs each season.

Fitzgerald thought that Dunne would be at Marist for a long time and wanted to grow his own coaching career. He took over St. Francis in 2014 and led the Spartans to the playoffs in the first of his two seasons before moving to Naperville North as its offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for two years.

Although Fitzgerald fell in love with coaching and the relationships he built at Marist, he felt leaving Marist helped him become the coach he is today.

“I don’t think I would’ve grown as much, getting out of my comfort zone, challenging myself to start at some new places has made me a better, a stronger coach,” Fitzgerald said. “Working with different coaches and obviously seeing all of their strengths, learning from other people. I just feel like it was the best thing that ever happened to me, in terms of leaving and getting those experiences.”

Marist athletic director Eric Simpson knew Fitzgerald would be a perfect candidate for the job once Dawczak announced his decision to step down. Fitzgerald knew how Marist wanted to run its program and Simpson already felt like the community was excited for his return.

Fitzgerald also knew the importance of relationships. He said building strong connections with his players will not only help the RedHawks win on the field but in their lives after football.

All of that made it a simple decision for Marist.

“He shares our values and understands what our culture is here from an athletic standpoint, a football standpoint,” Simpson said. “Everything that we know about Mike as a football coach, we believe he’s an even better person that will prioritize the development of our student-athletes first and high-academic standard we have here at Marist, also understanding that we feel that he’s a great choice as a football mind and a leader.”

Fitzgerald is looking forward to the challenge of going back to Marist and competing in the CCL/ESCC. He knows that success in the megaconference starts with offseason work, so he’s getting started in helping the RedHawks get in work during the winter

In the meantime, Fitzgerald is grateful for the opportunity to go back to where it all started. It wasn’t planned nor expected, but he’s looking forward taking over the program where he fell in love with coaching.

“I know a lot of people are surprised by the move and so am I as the opportunity was very unexpected and really came out of nowhere,” Fitzgerald said. “I really enjoyed my time here, I enjoyed the people there, it’s a special place and the opportunity to go back is definitely exciting.”