Northwestern Football Coach Braun Has Interim Tag Removed

EVANSTON, IL — After being brought in on an interim basis to replace fired Northwestern football coach Pat Fitzgerald, David Braun has done enough to earn the full-time job running the Wildcats program, the school announced on Wednesday night.

Braun, who was hired at Northwestern in January as the school’s defensive coordinator and shifted into the interim head coach role after Fitzgerald was fired in the wake of a sexualized hazing scandal, has been hired as the head of the program by athletic director Derrick Gragg. Braun will be officially introduced as Northwestern's permanent coach at a news conference on Thursday.

ESPN reported earlier on Wednesday that Northwestern's coaching staff was told that Braun would have the interim tag removed from his job status by Gragg and Northwestern President Michael Schill.

"We asked Dave to support our student-athletes this season and he has done an exceptional job," Schill said in a statement released by the school on Wednesday. "Under his guidance, Northwestern's football team has exceeded expectations on the field and excelled in the classroom. The turnaround he has led, under very difficult circumstances, is nothing short of phenomenal."

Gragg said in a statement that Braun "embodies the values of our athletic department: respect, integrity, service and excellence” and he has “earned this position.”

He added: “Coach Braun has rallied the team under very adverse circumstances. He has gained the respect of the student-athletes, the staff, parents, alumni and our fans.”

The Wildcats are 5-5 overall and 3-4 in Big Ten play heading into Saturday’s game against Purdue at Ryan Field. Northwestern is coming off a 24-10 victory over Wisconsin and needs just one victory either Saturday against the Boilermakers or in the regular season finale against Illinois to become bowl-eligible.

The Wildcats have won more games this season than in the previous two seasons combined when Northwestern tallied four victories in what ended up being Fitzgerald's final two years. Braun is the first Northwestern coach to win five games in his first season since Walter McCornack in 1903.

“I’m so proud of this group for so many reasons,” Braun told reporters after last weekend’s victory in Madison. “As a coach and as a coaching staff, we couldn’t be more proud of the way these guys have just continued to battle, continued to grow, continued to improve.”

He added: “It’s a bunch of purpose-driven people, purpose-driven dudes on this team that knows why they’re doing what they’re doing. I’ve used the word ‘warrior’ before and I’ll continue to use it. People who know their purpose and their purpose is bigger than themselves.”

The Wildcats' turnaround under Braun has come as the Northwestern program continues to face allegations of sexualized hazing that former players said they were victims of under past coaching staffs. Fitzgerald was fired over the summer after he was initially suspended without pay after an explosive report was published in the Daily Northwestern detailing some of the abuse players alleged to have happened during their playing careers.

Fitzgerald has since sued the university and is seeking over $130 million while claiming wrongful termination.

Braun has declined to address the allegations since being named interim coach and said his focus was this team and moving the program forward. He came into the job after working as North Dakota State's defensive coordinator as part of a coaching staff that guided the program to a pair of FCS national championships. Braun had never worked as a head coach prior to being promoted to the interim role after Fitzgerald's firing.

"I am truly honored for the opportunity to continue leading Northwestern's football program," Braun said in a statement released by the school on Wednesday. "Over the past five months, having the chance to lead this group has been the opportunity of a lifetime. Moving forward, my mission is to build on this positive momentum, aiming to create one of the best experiences in college football for our student-athletes."