Receiver took long path to stardom at UNT

[JayM]

Might be of interest to some. Casey wanted to play for the Ponies.

Football: Receiver took long path to stardom at UNT

11:10 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 12, 2007
By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas wide receiver Casey Fitzgerald would have been on the opposite sideline for the Mean Green's game against SMU on Saturday if his dreams had come to fruition a few years ago.

Fitzgerald attended an SMU camp while he was in high school and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his brother Johnny, who completed his four-year career with the Mustangs last season.

"I tried to go to SMU because my brother went there, but the coaches didn't offer me a scholarship," Fitzgerald said. "That was in the back of my mind last week."

That extra motivation paid off in the form of a record-setting game that marked the latest step in Fitzgerald's unusual path to stardom at UNT. Fitzgerald, a player college coaches deemed too small and slow to be worthy of a scholarship, torched the Mustangs for 18 catches and 327 receiving yards, a total that ranks fourth in major college history. That performance in a 45-31 loss came just a week after Fitzgerald (5-11, 186) caught seven passes for 126 yards against Oklahoma.

The former walk-on, who teammates describe as quiet and humble, heads into the Mean Green's off week ranked first nationally in receiving yards (226.5 per game) and third in receptions (12.5 per game).

"It's a tribute to a guy who has paid his dues and earned everything he has," UNT head coach Todd Dodge said. "He's reaping the benefits and so are we."

Seeing Fitzgerald succeed is nothing new to his former coaches in Red Oak, a town of 4,300 located 23 miles south of Dallas. Fitzgerald was a basketball and football star for the Hawks during one of the more memorable times in the history of the school's athletic program.

Fitzgerald helped lead the Red Oak basketball team to the playoffs, after a 50-year absence, his junior and senior years and also intercepted three passes in the Hawks' first-ever win over rival Waco Midway in football his senior season.

"When you look at Casey, he doesn't look that fast, but he is really smooth and deceptive," Red Oak basketball coach Preston Foster said. "He finds a way to make plays."

Fitzgerald was three-time all-district point guard and a two-time first-team all-district selection with the football team while playing defensive back and wide receiver.

"Casey was just smart about athletics," former Red Oak football coach Dewayne Osborne said. "He could figure out where he needed to be on the field just by instinct. He would bate quarterbacks into throwing the ball as a defensive back. The game was just natural to him."

Fitzgerald’s problem was those skills weren't the type college coaches could measure with stopwatches and rulers. UT-Arlington and a few junior colleges recruited Fitzgerald as a point guard, but no school offered a football scholarship.

"I thought about playing basketball because I thought it gave me better chance, but it wasn't my calling," Fitzgerald said. "My mom pushed me to play football because I had played football forever and didn't start playing basketball until junior high."

Fitzgerald decided to attend UNT because it was a public school close to home that he could afford. He eventually earned a small role with the Mean Green as a sophomore under former head coach Darrell Dickey, who used a run-based offense.

Fitzgerald's fortunes changed almost immediately when Dodge arrived and installed a spread offense.

"I did some research and found out that Casey was a good point guard," Dodge said. "Over the years I have taken guys who were basketball players and made them into wide receivers. [UNT's offense] is like basketball on grass sometimes. … When you see Casey set up defenders, you can picture where he is setting them up to take them to the hoop."

Fitzgerald thrived in spring practice and was rewarded with a scholarship over the summer.

"You always enjoy rewarding people who work hard like Casey," Dodge said. "He never came in and said he was the best receiver in spring or pounded his fist about wanting a scholarship."

Fitzgerald has shown that he deserves that scholarship by pulling in highlight-reel catches. He scored on a 69-yard catch and run against OU and was even more impressive against SMU, grabbing passes while contorting his body in the air to adjust to the flight of the ball.

"Casey really fights for the ball," said quarterback Daniel Meager, who set a UNT record with 601 passing yards against SMU. "I feel confident that if I put the ball in his general area, he will find some way to get it."


BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is [email protected].

[J.T.supporta]

Sad he is not a Mustang but glad to hear his hard work paid off

[PhirePhilBennett]

"I tried to go to SMU because my brother went there, but the coaches didn't offer me a scholarship," Fitzgerald said. "That was in the back of my mind last week."

Probably because you forgot more about football than your brother ever got to play at SMU

[PonySoprano]

Based on the article, he didn't get any offers from any school to play football. Its not just the SMU coaches that didn't offer.

I never understood why Johnnie Fitz wasn't featured in the offense. He would make things happen when he got the ball. I remember Coach Cavan would always say "we've got to find ways to get the ball to Fitz" but then it would never happen on game day.

I never understood that.

[93Mustang]

Good article. Thanks for sharing. I'm glad he had a big game and I'm also glad we won in the end. Classic example of why private schools with high tuition are at a disadvantage in football because we are priced out of many walk ons, and occasionally they turn out to be diamonds in the rough like Fitzgerald. I hope NTSU keeps putting up big passing numbers the rest of the way and wins out.

[Stallion]

OK I remember now. He won the DMN Defensive Player of the Week award for his 3 Interception game I believe in the season opener which is discussed above. Ran one back for a TD and I believe he ran one back the next week. We discussed him several times on this board and speculated whether he would get a scholarship. I'd be a little hesitant blaming this completely on Bennett until we know if he was admitted to the school. If he had the grades how the hell did Todd Graham miss him in HIS own backyard. (JOKE-a little recruiting humor)

[mavsrage311]

I love to see a walk-on work hard and reap the benefits. I don't blame our coaches one bit for not offering, they were only doing their job...if they didn't think he would be a D-1 player, then thats their call. It's not like OU and Miami offered him and we didn't, he had 0 offers. I think normally we'd complain if we recruited a player with no other offers, lets not blame the coaches here, but congrats to Fitz Jr.

[thefamousguy]

I never understood why Johnnie Fitz wasn't featured in the offense. He would make things happen when he got the ball.

I never understood that.

He didn't get the ball because his hands were like bricks. He reminds me of Columbus Givens. They run by the entire defense but once the ball touches their hands they forget to catch it. These types of players are more suited for track.