Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald Thinks He Can Out-Bench Press Big Ten Coaches

Should the Big Ten's football coaches ever compete in a bench press competition, Northwestern's Pat Fitzgerald likes his chances.

The former Northwestern linebacker-turned-coach said as much during a Tuesday interview on The Dan Patrick Show.

Despite admitting that's he's not bench pressing enough these days, Fitzgerald told Patrick that he'd "win going away."

Fitzgerald And Northwestern Beat Nebraska 31-28 On Saturday

"Not being able to go with myself, I'd go with "Frosty" (Nebraska's Scott Frost), or (Mel) Tucker," Fitzgerald said. His response was to a question host Dan Patrick asked about the Big Ten's strongest coach.

After singling out Big Ten coaches from Nebraska and Michigan State as being worthy adversaries, Fitzgerald took it a step further and raised the stakes. "We'd have to do a whole CrossFit thing, it couldn't just be the bench press," the 47-year-old Fitzgerald added.

"I'm not a runner anymore," said Fitzgerald. "But let's get on the elliptical for thirty minutes - see how high you can go and how many miles you can get."

Don't Bet Against Pat Fitzgerald

If you think it sounds like Fitzgerald is an intense dude, you're spot on. A College Football Hall of Famer, Fitzgerald's intensity was apparent during his Northwestern playing days. As a Wildcat, "Fitz" was a two-time winner of the following awards:

Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and the Chuck Bednarik Award.

Decent, right?

DUBLIN, IRELAND - AUGUST 27: Northwestern Wildcats head coach, Pat Fitzgerald speaks to his team after the the Aer Lingus College Football Classic 2022 match between Big Ten opponents the Northwestern Wildcats and Nebraska Cornhuskers at Aviva Stadium on August 27, 2022 in Dublin, Ireland. (Photo by Oisin Keniry/Getty Images),

It's not all bad news for the other 13 coaches in the Big Ten Conference. Fitzgerald might be the (self-proclaimed) strongest, but that doesn't mean he looks the best on Saturdays.

"I'm kind of part of the skinny-fat society of America," Fitzgerald joked. "I look good in a shirt."

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