Northwestern Assistant Braun To Lead Football Program On Interim Basis

EVANSTON, IL — After more than 17 years with the same football coach in place at the helm of its program, Northwestern will have a new leader for the upcoming season amid a hazing scandal that cost Pat Fitzgerald his job this week. At least on a temporary basis.

The university announced on Friday that Northwestern's new defensive coordinator David Braun will take charge of the program for the upcoming season, Braun, who joined Fitzgerald’s staff in January after the Wildcats finished the season with a 1-11 record, will lead Northwestern after being promoted on an interim basis this week following Fitzgerald's dismissal.

Braun, who was previously the defensive coordinator at North Dakota State, where he was part of a coaching staff that helped lead the Bison to two FBS National Championships, was the 2021 FBS Coordinator of the Year and was hired in January after Northwestern fired defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil.

"The opportunity to lead this team at this crucial moment in its history is not something I take lightly and I'm grateful for the trust placed in me," Braun said in a statement released by the school on Friday. "Our focus today and this day moving forward is on supporting these men, many of whom have been on campus for several weeks."

Braun’s hiring came after an investigation into hazing allegations by former Northwestern players was launched. Northwestern President Michael Schill said last week that the independent investigation into the allegations showed that there was evidence that hazing had taken place within the program. The Daily Northwestern then released an explosive report detailing the hazing experienced by mostly freshmen, who said that they were dry-humped by masked upperclassmen in the locker room as punishment for mistakes made in practice.

But three days after initially saying that Fitzgerald — Northwestern’s coach since 2006 — would serve a two-week unpaid suspension, Schill fired the former Wildcats’ linebacker with cause, according to multiple reports.

ESPN reported this week that Braun was given day-to-day control of the program after Fitzgerald was fired. Players made it clear to Schill and Northwestern athletic director Derrick Gragg that they were in favor of Schill being named interim coach to allow for some semblance of continuity. In the days since Fitzgerald's firing, four high school recruits who had previously announced their decision to sign with Northwestern, have re-opened their search for a college home.

The remainder of Fitzgerald’s staff were informed that they would retain their jobs for the 2023 season. Players were then told that Braun would be leading the program for the upcoming season, according to ESPN. The spokesman confirmed that Braun will coach the Wildcats for the season, which begins in early September against Rutgers.

Braun's coaching career began at Winona State as a graduate assistant before he accepted a job as the defensive coordinator at Culver Stockton in Mississippi. He then returned to Winona State as co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. He has also coached at the University of California-Davis and Northern Iowa before transitioning to North Dakota State.

Friday's announcement was made by Gragg, who, along with Schill, has not made any public comment on the hazing scandal outside of prepared statements released by the school.

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