Dan Fitzgerald: podcast appearances and interviews

Dan Fitzgerald was a college basketball coach and athletic director with a notable career at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He served as the head coach of the Gonzaga Bulldogs for 15 seasons between 1978 and 1997, with a break from 1981 to 1985. During his tenure, he compiled an overall record of 252 wins and 171 losses, achieving a winning percentage of .596. Fitzgerald led Gonzaga to its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 1995 and earlier to its first post-season tournament, the National Invitation Tournament, in 1994, where the team secured a win at Stanford in the first round. His efforts contributed to the recruitment of players such as John Stockton, a future Hall of Fame member, and the hiring of influential coaches including Mark Few, Dan Monson, and Bill Grier. Fitzgerald's tenure included a record number of total wins until surpassed by Few in 2009. Prior to his time at Gonzaga, Fitzgerald worked as an assistant coach at Santa Clara for three seasons and had a two-year stint at Gonzaga as an assistant under Adrian Buoncristiani. He also worked in the private sector for a year. In addition to coaching, Fitzgerald served as athletic director, a position he assumed after the resignation of Larry Koentopp in 1978. He temporarily stepped down as head coach in 1981 to focus on his director role, returning to coaching in 1985. After resigning as athletic director in 1997, Fitzgerald worked in private business. Born in San Francisco and an alumnus of Cal State Los Angeles, Fitzgerald had also been a high school coach and teacher prior to his college coaching career. He died at age 67 in Spokane after suffering an apparent heart attack in 2010.