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

Key Information

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 (.596). He led the Bulldogs to their first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 1995,[1] 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.[2] They had narrowly missed an NIT selection the previous two seasons.[3][4] 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.[5][6][7] Fitzgerald was also responsible for hiring coaches Mark Few, Dan Monson, and Bill Grier to Gonzaga.[8][9] 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.[10][11] Shortly after his arrival in Spokane, "Fitz" stated he was a strong proponent of moving out of the Big Sky to the WCAC.[12] 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.[13]

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.[14] Hillock resigned after four seasons in April 1985 and Fitzgerald returned to coach the Bulldogs.[15] 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.[9][16][17][18]

After 19 years as athletic director, Fitzgerald resigned in December 1997,[6][19] and was succeeded by Mike Roth.[20] Fitzgerald then worked in private business in the Spokane area.[21][22] He died in Spokane at age 67 after an apparent heart attack on January 19, 2010.[7][8][23]

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,[24] then attended college at Santa Clara and San Francisco State,[10] 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.[25]

Head coaching record

[edit]
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Gonzaga Bulldogs (Big Sky) (1978–1979)
1978–79 Gonzaga 16–10 7–7 T-4th
Gonzaga Bulldogs (WCAC) (1979–1981)
1979–80 Gonzaga 14–13 10–6 T-3rd
1980–81 Gonzaga 19–8 9–5 3rd
Gonzaga Bulldogs (WCAC/WCC) (1985–1997)
1985–86 Gonzaga 15–13 8–6 4th
1986–87 Gonzaga 18–10 9–5 2nd
1987–88 Gonzaga 16–12 7–7 5th
1988–89 Gonzaga 14–14 5–9 6th
1989–90 Gonzaga 8–20 3–11 8th
1990–91 Gonzaga 14–14 5–9 6th
1991–92 Gonzaga 20–10 8–6 T-3rd
1992–93 Gonzaga 19–9 11–3 2nd
1993–94 Gonzaga 22–8 12–2 1st NIT Second Round
1994–95 Gonzaga 21–9 7–7 4th NCAA Division I First Round
1995–96 Gonzaga 21–9 10–4 T-1st NIT First Round
1996–97 Gonzaga 15–12 8–6 T-4th
Gonzaga: 252–171 (.596) 119–93 (.514)
Total: 252–171 (.596)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Dan Fitzgerald

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Dan Fitzgerald was an American filmmaker, animator, production designer, and storyboard artist known for his contributions to visual effects, animation, and storyboarding across commercials, feature films, and television series. Born in 1940 in Kansas City, Missouri, Fitzgerald began his career at age 18 as an animator at Calvin Productions before relocating to Hollywood, where he art-directed motion picture sequences, television pilots, and commercials for director Robert Altman and established himself as a director and production designer specializing in animation and visual effects. In 1976, he served temporarily as a television adviser to President Gerald Ford, handling technical supervision of the President's television appearances and advising on aspects such as lighting. He later served as Executive Producer at MAGI, a pioneering computer-generated imagery company that contributed to Disney's TRON. After periods in New York City and a return to Hollywood, Fitzgerald settled permanently in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1992, where he focused on production illustrations and storyboards for prominent projects including the television series Breaking Bad, Steven Spielberg's Into the West, Seraphim Falls, Sunshine Cleaning, and North Country. His work earned him four Clio Awards, a Gold Medal at the International Film Festival of New York, and 14 Addy Awards. In his later years, Fitzgerald pursued fine art, specializing in 19th-century English-style dog portraiture, with pieces exhibited at galleries such as William Secord and Waxlander. He died in 2017 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Early life

Birth and early years

Dan Fitzgerald was born in 1940 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. Information about his early childhood, family background, education, or pre-professional life remains scarce in public records and reliable sources. He spent his formative years in the Midwest and began his career at age 18 as an animator at Calvin Productions.

Career

Dan Fitzgerald began his career in animation at age 18 in 1958 as an animator at Calvin Productions in Kansas City, one of the largest business film companies at the time. Four years later, he relocated to Hollywood and worked for Animation Inc. He later art-directed motion picture sequences, television pilots, and commercials for director Robert Altman. In 1965, he launched his live-action directing career at John Urie & Associates, establishing a reputation as a director and production designer specializing in animation and visual effects. He was recruited to New York City by MPO, where he developed a long-term affinity for the city. In 1976, President Gerald Ford appointed him Media Advisor to the White House, an experience he considered a highlight of his life. He later served as Executive Producer at MAGI, a pioneering computer-generated imagery company that contributed to Disney's TRON. After time in New York City and Hollywood, Fitzgerald settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1992, where he focused on production illustrations and storyboards for major projects including the television series Breaking Bad (storyboard artist, 2011), Steven Spielberg's Into the West (storyboard artist, uncredited, 2005), Seraphim Falls (illustrator, 2006), Sunshine Cleaning (storyboard artist, 2008), and North Country (storyboard artist, 2005). His work in commercials, titles, and film sequences earned him four Clio Awards, a Gold Medal at the International Film Festival of New York, and 14 Addy Awards.

Personal life

Family

Dan Fitzgerald was married to Lisa Peterson, whom he met in Santa Fe, New Mexico, after relocating there following his role as Media Advisor to the White House. They remained married until his death in 2017. No children are documented in reliable sources. Limited public information is available about Fitzgerald's personal life. His obituary notes his joys included his wife, his dogs (Cindy, Shanto, Buster Brown, and especially Bailey), and celebrations with the Peterson family at locations such as Rancho De Chimayo and Petrified Forest Ranch.

Death

Later years and passing

In his later years, Dan Fitzgerald continued working as a storyboard artist and production illustrator, with credits as late as 2011 on projects such as Breaking Bad and The Resident. He also focused on fine art, specializing in dog portraiture exhibited at galleries in Santa Fe. He passed away in 2017 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. No additional details on the exact date or cause of death are available in reliable sources. His passing marked the end of a career that spanned several decades in animation, visual effects, and film production.
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