DeLane Fitzgerald was born and raised in Nelson County, VA, where team sports played a major role in his upbringing. He played basketball, baseball and football on school teams. He also played in recreational leagues as well. However, at an early age he started to recognize that football was hisfavorite sport. From there, he went on to play football in the high school and college arena, where he was a player for Potomac State College from 2005 to 2007 and then for James Madison University from 2007 to 2009.

Although DeLane Fitzgerald was a talented football player, but he had the foresight to realize that a career in the National Football League probably wasn’t for him. But he knew that he wanted to be involved with the sport for the duration of his career, so he took an interest in coaching instead. After graduating from JMU, he went on to become a defensive coordinator for Brighton Academy and then a defensive line coach for his alma mater, JMU. He then coached special teams for UT-Martin, Bethel University and then Southern Virginia University.

He later become the head coach for SVU, where he earned the reputation as being the winningest football coach in the school’s history. Currently, he is the head coach for Frostburg State University. Additionally, on three separate occasions in Fitzgerald’s career, he led offenses that averaged over 36.0 points per game (2005 @ Bethel U, 2007 @ SVU, 2011 @ SVU). He also led a special teams unit that lead the country in kick-off return yards (2006 @ SVU). Finally, he led a team one that lead the country in blocked kicks (2012 @ SVU, 12 blocked kicks).

He describes the secrets to his success as so:
“I am a football program builder. We built good programs at each place I was an assistant. We built a football program at SVU. And we are building a great football program at Frostburg State University. I am a head coach that improves/develops his players athletically, academically, and as people through character development. I spend a large amount of time writing recommendations and helping former players get into graduate school and get jobs.”

Furthermore, DeLane Fitzgerald takes a personal interest in the well-being and personal development of his players. “I provide a father figure to a lot of young men. Help them get an education. Teach them discipline, accountability, punctuality, loyalty, etc.... and win a few football games while doing it. I teach young men how to be a man, how to be a productive member of society. My greatest achievement is seeing the light come on for a young man. Seeing someone change their life. I am competitive, as competitive as anyone you've ever met, but I care. “

About: DeLane Fitzgerald and his success as a football coach. For more information visit at: https://www.crunchbase.com/person/delane-fitzgerald