Bio

John Fitzpatrick was an all-OVC defensive back who set school and conference records and helped lift Tennessee Tech to the 1972 Ohio Valley Conference football championship.

The diminutive Fitzpatrick originally came to Tech as a walk-on from New Jersey to play for Coach Don Wade. Naysayers said he lacked size and speed, but his intelligence, character, and desire to win allowed him to become one of the nation’s premier defensive backs.

After posting a 5-5 mark in 1969 and a 4-6 record in 1970, the Golden Eagles became a contender for the Ohio Valley Conference crown. In 1971, Fitzpatrick helped the Golden Eagles post an 8-2 overall record and place second in the OVC with a 5-2 mark. He tied the school record and ranked fourth in the nation with six interceptions.

The following year, Fitzpatrick teamed with three of the legends of Tech football to headline an overpowering defense and bring the OVC championship to Cookeville with a 7-0 record. Combining with future NFL performers and Tech Hall of Famers Jim Youngblood, Mike Hennigan and Elois Grooms, Fitzpatrick and the Tech defense helped post a 10-1 overall record in the regular seasons and put the Golden Eagles in the Grantland Rice Bowl. In that championship season, Fitzpatrick set the Tech and OVC single-season record with 12 interceptions. He also set the school record for interception return yards with 191, a mark that stood for 23 seasons.

Against Western Kentucky, in the game that determined the 1972 league championship, he established a school record with three interceptions against the Hilltoppers and was named OVC Defensive Player of the Week. He was also named OVC Defensive Player of the Week following Tech’s conference win over East Tennessee in which he set a school-record with a 78-yard interception return for a touchdown.

In the career record books, Fitzpatrick set the record for most interceptions with 21, a record that wasn’t broke for 24 years. At the time of his induction, he still held the record for career interception return yardage with 302.

Fitzpatrick earned his degree in education from Tech in 1973.