Dan Fitzgerald dies

The ex coach of the Zags - The man we loved to hate , and a great competitor, Dan Fitzgerald died today of a heart attack.

He recruited John Stockton, took the Zags to their first NCAA tournament in 1995, and built the coaching staff of Mark Few, Dan Monson and Bill Grier that has put the Zags in every NCAA tournament since the 1999 season.

I remember when he lost to UP in 96 he bought a round for UP fans back at the hotel. We might have "hated" him as a competitor, but he still brought a smile with his wisecracks and his stories and made the games fun .

Condolences to his family.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/budwithers/2010846071_withers21.html

Dan was always entertaining to watch... very animated. I dont think he gets the credit he deserves for building the foundation of the GU program in the late 90's...

My condolensces to his family and friends.

I remember reading a quote from Fitz around the time he left GU when he was asked which WCC team was the toughest to play. Without hesitation, he answered, (paraphrased) "Jack Avina's Portland teams. Every time you stepped on the court, you knew it was going to be a war."

All the best to Fitz's family.

Condolences to his family for such a sudden death. I always enjoyed watching his teams play.