ATLANTA (Nov. 23, 2020) - Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl today announced that Northwestern head football coach Pat Fitzgerald has been selected as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week.

The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award's three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.

No. 19 Northwestern defeated No. 10 Wisconsin 17-7 at home on Saturday in a Big Ten West Division showdown. The Wildcats' defense was dominant, forcing five turnovers and holding the Badgers scoreless for the final three quarters of the game. Northwestern quarterback Peyton Ramsey completed 23-of-44 passes for 203 yards, while senior wide receivers Ramaud Chiaokiao-Bowman and Kyric McGowan both set career highs in receiving yards with 95 and 80 yards, respectively.

The victory over Wisconsin represented Northwestern's first win over a top-10 opponent since 2011 and improved the Wildcats to 5-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since 1996.

"I played for Coach Dodd and knowing Coach Fitzgerald well, I can tell you that he embodies The Dodd Trophy philosophy," said Dodd Trophy Board member and former Dodd Trophy winner Bill Curry.  "Northwestern is undefeated because it plays solid, fundamental football, doesn't make many mistakes and showed what it can do Saturday against a really tough Wisconsin team."

Fitzgerald is in his 15th year as head coach of the Wildcats and is the second-longest tenured head coach in the Big Ten. Northwestern has made nine bowl appearances and has four of its five bowl wins in program history under his leadership. In 2018 Fitzgerald and the Wildcats claimed the program's first-ever Big Ten West Division title and berth in the Big Ten Championship game with a program-tying eight Big Ten wins. As a result, Fitzgerald was named the consensus 2018 Big Ten Head Coach of the Year and a finalist for the 2018 Dodd Trophy. He was also just recently named to the 2020 Dodd Trophy midseason watch list.

Off the football field, Fitzgerald's players have achieved at the highest levels in the classroom, last fall placing 57 players on the Academic All-Big Ten team. In 2019, Northwestern football became the first Power Five team ever to post a perfect Graduation Success Rate score. In 2012, Northwestern collected top national honors in the AFCA Academic Achievement Award for the seventh time since 1998. Additionally, Fitzgerald's program has ranked in the top three among all FBS programs in the multi-year Academic Progress Rating (APR) for 10 consecutive years and has posted a score of 995-or-better in the measure of player retention and eligibility four straight years. The Wildcats were the lone Big Ten football program to earn an APR Public Recognition Award from the NCAA in 2020, which is given to programs that rank in the top 10 percent of their sport.

In the community, Fitzgerald, his family and his players participate in several charitable events including: Northwestern Dance Marathon, Special Olympics, Misericordia and Uplifting Athletes. The team also makes weekly school and children's hospital visits, along with contributing to dozens of other organizations. In recognition of his work off of the football field, Fitzgerald was named honorary coach of the 2017 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team for demonstrating a unique dedication to community service and desire to make a positive impact on the lives of others.

"Coach Fitzgerald has taken Northwestern to new heights both on the football field and in the class room," said Gary Stokan, CEO and president of Peach Bowl, Inc. "He has the Wildcats in great position to make the Big Ten Championship Game for the second time in three years, and his players just posted a perfect Graduation Success Rate score last season. He truly represents what The Dodd Trophy stands for and that's why he's such a strong candidate to be considered for the award later this year."

The Dodd Trophy presented by the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – along with the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Award – celebrates the head coach of a FBS team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity.

A panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2020 season. The winner of the 2020 Dodd Trophy will be announced in Atlanta during the week of this year's Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.