This Saturday, Evanston will witness a glimpse into Northwestern’s storied past. A Cinderella storyline stitched on the hearts of the Wildcats faithful relives its glorious moment. The program will host its Rose Bowl reunion, celebrating the famed ’95 roster that won the Big Ten and a Rose Bowl trip. But uncertainty over one alum and a former fired head coach’s appearance has cast a gloom over the Martin Stadium.

Northwestern had been a punching bag since the 1970s. Recording 34 straight game losses from 1979-82, with just an average of two wins per season (from 1971-95), the program had become a laughing stock. But this all changed in 1995. The Wildcats shone the brightest, earning their first trip to the Rose Bowl in 47 years. Former celebrated linebacker and controversial coach Pat Fitzgerald played on the iconic ’95 roster. And later joined his alma mater as a head coach. But an ugly hazing scandal derailed his career. He was let go, which ultimately soured the relationship with the program.

But this weekend, Fitzgerald’s replacement and present head Coach, David Braun, is hoping for Pat to show up. “I don’t know if he will, but I hope he does,” the HC said.

“Fitz is one of the most iconic Northwestern football players of all time, one of the best coaches to do it here…really hopeful he’s a full participant in Saturday’s celebration.” Former coach Fitzgerald was the star linebacker on the ’95 roster, leading his team to a 10-1 regular season. He averaged 13 tackles per game, climbing up to the Consensus All-America honors.

His playing career was as decorated as the 1995 Rose Bowl trip. Twice, he was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, along with the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and the Chuck Bednarik Award. With such a stacked resume, he came back to his alma mater as a head coach in 2006. For nearly two decades, he called the plays on the sidelines. But the hazing scandal in 2023 shook Northwestern.

The investigation did not find conclusive evidence to point out the individuals who allegedly participated in hazing but wrote, “participation in or knowledge of the hazing activities was widespread across football players.” Fitzgerald, who stated that he was “not aware of the alleged incidents,” was put on an unpaid two-week suspension and later fired.

Alleged hazing scandal at Northwestern

The Daily Northwestern published an alarming report about the allegations of a hazing culture rooted in the Wildcats’ locker room. The hazing centered around the practice called “running,” which was primarily used to punish freshmen for making mistakes on the field. “It’s just a really abrasive and barbaric culture that has permeated throughout that program for years on end now,” one of the Daily’s sources had stated. “It’s done under this smoke and mirror of ‘oh, this is team bonding,’ but no, this is sexual abuse,” one player added.

According to the Daily’s sources, the then-head coach allegedly knew about this practice. “The player believes some players interpreted Fitzgerald making these signals (the Shrek clap, which identified players for ‘running’) as knowingly ‘encouraging’ the hazing to continue,” the Daily Northwestern reported.

Northwestern’s President Michael Schill wrote an open letter to the university community, saying, “The head coach is ultimately responsible for the culture of his team. The hazing we investigated was widespread and clearly not a secret within the program, providing Coach Fitzgerald with the opportunity to learn what was happening.”

Fitzgerald parted ways with the program, wrapping up his 110-101 record, with two Big Ten West Championships and five bowl victories.