Packers Head Coach Rumors: GB 'Still Hopeful' It Can Speak to Pat Fitzgerald

The Green Bay Packers are "still hopeful" of receiving an interview with Northwestern Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Tom Silverstein and Jim Owczarski reported Tuesday.

Following Northwestern's 31-20 win over the Utah Utes in the Holiday Bowl, Fitzgerald affirmed his commitment to the school.

"Hashtag Go Cats, man," Fitzgerald said in a postgame interview with Fox Sports' Joel Klatt (via Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.com). "I'm not going anywhere. This is home forever. ... I'm a Wildcat for life."

Even before Fitzgerald's comments Monday, getting him out of Evanston, Illinois, was never going to be easy.

The 44-year-old was a star linebacker at Northwestern, winning the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Chuck Bednarik Award in 1995 and 1996. He has spent the last 13 years as the Wildcats' head coach after replacing Randy Walker in 2006, shortly after Walker died.

Fitzgerald has also built Northwestern into an above-average Big Ten program. The Wildcats went 8-1 in the conference this year to capture the Big Ten West division, losing 45-24 to Ohio State in the Big Ten title game.

Perhaps most importantly, the school unveiled the Walter Athletics Center in August, a $270 million facility built on the shores of Lake Michigan.

The Wildcats won't be a Big Ten contender unless Fitzgerald consistently attracts blue-chip recruits to the program. That athletic center is the kind of investment that will help aid Northwestern on the recruiting trail.

Wilder things have happened in the college coaching carousel than Fitzgerald leaving. Manny Diaz was officially announced as the head coach of Temple and Miami within 18 days of each other.

But it wouldn't appear Fitzgerald is having second thoughts about his long-term future at Northwestern.