Univ. of Tampa head coach Tom Fitzgerald was killed Saturday in a motorcycle accident at the age of 52. Fitzgerald had been one of the longest serving coaches in Major League Soccer history as the Columbus Crew's boss. He was certainly one of the classier individuals MLS has known.
From: Soccer America
Former Columbus Crew head coach Tom Fitzgerald died Saturday from injuries suffered when his motorcycle was struck by an SUV while he was en route to the Nike Friendlies in Bradenton, Fla.
Fitzgerald, who was 52, coached MLS's Crew in 1996-2001. He was an assistant for the Crew when it began play in 1996 and took over Timo Liekoski late in the first season. He was fired after the first six games of the 2001 season.
Fitzgerald won national titles at the NCAA Division I and II levels.
He returned to the college game in 2002, taking UCLA to its fourth Division I men's title in his first year. He was the first coach to lead a team to a Division I title in his first year at the school. After the 2003 season, he returned to the University of Tampa, where he had begun his college coaching career. He led UT to a NCAA Division II men's title in 1984.
Fitzgerald's first head-coaching experience was at Jesuit High School in Tampa (1978-1981). He was an assistant at the University of Tampa before becoming its head coach in 1987.
Fitzgerald played soccer at the University of South Florida after
transferring from Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y.
Fitzgerald earned a Bachelor's Degree from South Florida in 1974. He is survived by his wife, Debi, and two sons, Shane and Jesse.
Update: I didn't realize this but apparently, Fitzgerald played at and graduated from Hadley-Luzerne Central School, about 15 miles away from where I live.
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