Lake Forest College Sports Information
January 27, 2006
Contact: Mike Wajerski, SID

Catanzaro Hired to Coordinate Defense, Fitzgerald Promoted to Direct Offense
Becker’s full-time assistants set for 2006


Mike Fitzgerald (left) and Jim Catanzaro will coordinate the Foresters' offense and defense, respectively, in 2006.
LAKE FOREST, IL – Lake Forest College Head Football Coach Brent Becker and Athletic Director Jackie Slaats officially announced Friday (January 27) that Jim Catanzaro has been hired to be the Foresters’ new defensive coordinator. He will also serve as one of the department’s two strength and conditioning coordinators, beginning February 1. Becker and Slaats also announced the promotion of Assistant Coach Mike Fitzgerald ’03 to offensive coordinator.

Catanzaro replaces Seth Wallace as a full-time member of the football coaching staff. Wallace recently accepted a graduate assistant coaching position at the University of Iowa. Fitzgerald worked full-time as the Foresters’ special teams coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2005.

“I’m very excited about the recent changes within our coaching staff and what it means for the future of our football team,” states Becker. “I’ve had experience working with both Mike and Jim in the past and feel very fortunate to be assisted by individuals with their level of intelligence, dedication, and passion for the game of football.”

Catanzaro comes to Lake Forest from NCAA Division II Wingate University, where he was the defensive line coach. In his three seasons on the Bulldogs’ staff, the defense tallied 86 sacks, posted the best single-season record in team history (8-3 in 2004), and twice led the South Atlantic Conference in turnovers. Catanzaro was also the head strength coach for all Wingate sports, a role he will assume at Lake Forest. “Coach Catanzaro will be a great addition to our staff,” comments Slaats. “All of our athletic teams will benefit tremendously from his enthusiastic approach to strength and conditioning.”

Prior to joining the staff at Wingate, Catanzaro was the defensive line coach at Glenville State College for three years. Catanzaro graduated from Greenville College in 2000. He was a two-time (once on offense, once on defense) all-conference player for the Panthers, who won a conference championship his senior year while Becker was the team’s linebackers coach.

Fitzgerald returned to Lake Forest in 2005 after two years coaching the wide receivers at fellow Midwest Conference member Carroll College, where Pioneer wideouts earned three all-conference distinctions under his direction. He graduated from Lake Forest in 2003 after captaining the Foresters to a 9-2 record and conference championship his senior year. “It’s always nice to see one of our alumni moving up the coaching ranks,” begins Slaats. “And it’s even more meaningful to have it happen on our own staff.”