Northwestern assistant head coach Harlon Barnett has a long list of nicknames ready to use whenever he addresses or talks about safety Robert Fitzgerald. The Terminator. The World’s Greatest Tackler. The Face of the Big Ten. The Eraser. The General. The Example. Mr. Consistent. “He’s going to start forgetting his own name,” Barnett said. Fitzgerald has given Barnett a lot of reason to talk about him in a breakout season that continues at noon Friday in Northwestern’s game against Central Michigan in the GameAbove Sports Bowl on ESPN. The redshirt junior goes into the game at Detroit’s Ford Field as the Big Ten leader with 68 solo tackles for a Wildcats defense that fueled their 6-6 regular season. He ranked fourth in the conference with 109 tackles and also had 6½ tackles for a loss, three passes defended, an interception and a fumble recovery. “He’s maximizing his gifts, talents and abilities that the Lord has given him,” Barnett said. “And he takes no days off.” Fitzgerald’s season, for which he was named second-team All-Big Ten by coaches, comes after three years of working his way into bigger roles with Northwestern. He began with the Wildcats scout team and then played primarily on special teams in his first two seasons before earning more time on defense last year. Throughout the climb, he focused on the process, determined that when the Wildcats needed him, he would be prepared. “You’ve got to put the work in, day in, day out, no matter how long it takes,” Fitzgerald said. “But eventually your opportunity is going to come. And when that opportunity came, I knew that I was going to be ready based on all the work that I’ve been putting in for the past three years, on and off the field, in the weight room, in the training room, getting my body right, learning the playbook, studying film.” Fitzgerald’s approach — and his understanding of the value of each day — was developed in part before his time at Northwestern. During his senior year of high school in Dallas, he watched his father, Matthew, fight ALS, and his memories of his dad have shaped how he lives now. In the stands Norhwestern safety Robert Fitzgerald tackles UCLA's Jaivian Thomas on Sept. 27, 2025, at Martin Stadium in Evanston. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images) The Fitzgerald family would have Italian beef and Lou Malnati’s shipped to Dallas for Chicago Bears-Green Bay Packers games. Fitzgerald and his sister, Olivia, were Packers fans because of their mom, Amy, who is from Wisconsin. Matt, who grew up in the Wildwood/Edgebrook area of Chicago, cheered for the Bears. “He always said that my mom brainwashed me and my sister to be Packers fans,” Fitzgerald said. Fitzgerald said his father was passionate about the work he did as a marketing executive. Midway through his career, he met Mark Cuban at the gym, became friends with him and became the Mavericks senior vice president for marketing and communications, a job that allowed Fitzgerald to be a Mavs ball boy and meet Dirk Nowitzki as a kid. Matt could light up a room and was passionate about his family and friends, a trait Fitzgerald carries with him to his relationships. And the former Loyola Academy safety loved football, a passion he passed on to his son. Fitzgerald remembers spending countless hours on the couch watching NFL Sunday Ticket with his dad. They would play in the backyard, reenacting Super Bowl-winning drives, making sideline grabs or playing goal-line tackle, the latter game one his mother didn’t love. Fitzgerald said his dad was the biggest influence on his football career, giving him everything he needed to be successful. And he kept cheering on his son even after he was diagnosed with ALS the summer before Fitzgerald’s senior year at Jesuit College Prep. Fitzgerald, an All-State safety and running back that season, would look up into the stands to see his dad. “I’d be like, ‘Whatever I’m going through — I’m tired out here; I’m exhausted — whatever I’m going through is minuscule compared to what he’s going through,’” Fitzgerald said. “So that kind of drove me in high school my senior year, and I’ve kind of been able to use that as fuel going forward.” Fitzgerald, who is no relation to former Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald, chose Northwestern in part because of his father’s connection to the Chicago area. His grandmother still lived at the time in the same home Matt grew up in. Fitzgerald’s aunt lives in Naperville. His dad’s friends are around and come to games. Illinois and Northwestern are headed to bowl games: Here’s what to know But Matt didn’t get to see him play for the Wildcats. Matt died on July 22, 2022, just as Fitzgerald was beginning fall camp with Northwestern. “The whole thing changed my perspective on life for sure,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t take a single day for granted anymore. Just watching the way he handled it and the way he attacked it just really was amazing to see. And it was amazing to see how strong my mom was throughout the entire disease. And it was also amazing how many people showed up for my family. The community really showed up for us.” When Fitzgerald thinks about how he got through that time in his life — getting acclimated at a new school in the midst of losing his father — he said his family helped, especially his mom, who was “the rock throughout the whole thing.” And his Northwestern teammates and coaches helped too. It wasn’t just letting him know they were sorry or there for him. Sometimes it was just acting normally, because he needed that too. “My teammates just really rallied around me, and they kind of became like 110 brothers that I never had,” he said. ‘Baddest dude out there’ Northwestern defensive back Robert Fitzgerald (6) tackles Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt on Oct. 5, 2024, in Evanston. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune) Fitzgerald’s freshman season wasn’t easy on the field either as he realized he would be playing behind guys with several years of experience. He played scout team for a 1-11 squad before getting a few reps on special teams at the end of the year, which became a redshirt season. But he believed that if he kept working, he could increase his opportunities. In his second season, he started on three special teams units and played in a third-down subpackage. By his third year, he made the defensive rotation and started some at nickel for the Wildcats. Barnett, who joined Braun’s staff before the 2024 season, saw a player who was intentional and diligent with his work. He told Fitzgerald at the end of that season that he probably should have played more at safety, and he saw that message take hold to build Fitzgerald’s confidence in the offseason. “I saw toughness,” Barnett said. “I saw a willingness to get better. I saw a guy that takes coaching. He’s one of those guys who’s going to do exactly what you tell him. He’s going to take it to heart, he’s going to listen to you and he’s going to apply it. And that’s what you like to see as a coach.” Barnett, who played defensive back at Michigan State and in the NFL, always tells his players that they need to believe that they are the best player on the field. Recapping an eventful 2025 for Chicago sports on — and off — the field Fitzgerald said he knew he was meant to be in the starting-safety role after the opener against Tulane, when he had 13 tackles. But his confidence was really in place by the fourth game of the season against UCLA, a 17-14 Northwestern win in which Fitzgerald had nine tackles, including a tackle for a loss. He wouldn’t freak out if he missed a tackle. He told himself he was the best player on the field. “Then he started playing like that — ‘I’m the baddest dude out here. I’m the baddest guy on the field,’” Barnett said. Fitzgerald had numerous big plays in Northwestern’s near-upset of Michigan at Wrigley Field on Nov. 15. He had a career-high 15 tackles, including a tackle for a loss, and picked off quarterback Bryce Underwood in the fourth quarter, but Barnett got excited about a hit on a Wolverines running back late in the fourth. “He came in and smacked one of the running backs,” Barnett said. “I am vicariously playing through the players. And so, oh, man, I was so fired up. … And I don’t like Michigan, so that also adds to it.” Related Articles Recapping an eventful 2025 for Chicago sports on — and off — the field Chicago basketball report: WNBA players authorize a strike — and ‘Ain’t no Christmas’ for Notre Dame men Keaton Wagler powers No. 20 Illinois past Missouri 91-48 for the biggest blowout in Braggin’ Rights rivalry Notre Dame — with 96-game rivalry series vs. USC now on pause — announces home-and-home with BYU Hannah Hildago posts triple-double in No. 20 Notre Dame women’s 110-38 win over Bellarmine Fitzgerald will have one more chance this season to show up Friday against Central Michigan. He said the Wildcats want to finish with a winning record, send their seniors out on a high note and build some momentum heading into next season. Barnett said in the offseason Fitzgerald will continue to work on his speed and change of direction, on honing his already solid ball skills and tackling and improving his “vision and break” to where the quarterback is sending the ball. He expects him to continue to develop his leadership too. Fitzgerald delivered a speech to the team before the Tulane game to rally his teammates and said he is working on being a more vocal leader, which comes naturally after he feels like he has earned it. That merit has come this season. Earlier this year, Northwestern coach David Braun said Fitzgerald should be proud of the demeanor and the consistency with which he has played, adding “there’s no one in this program that reflects our values more than that young man.” Fitzgerald has thought about how his dad would view this breakout season, and he knows he would revel in it. “He would eat this season up,” Fitzgerald said. “He would love to see me. I know he’s watching, but he would love to be in those stands and see me out there, just like I was playing in high school.” ...read more read less