The Colgate Raiders (Patriot) hired Curt Fitzpatrick from NCAA Division III Cortland as the program’s next head coach. Fitzpatrick and the Red Dragons won the 2023 NCAA Division III National Championship.
Fitzpatrick played collegiately at the Division III program St. John Fisher from 2000 through 2004 and took up coaching the following year at the high school level. In 2006, he joined St. John Fisher as the quarterbacks coach for two seasons. From 2008 through 2012, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the Utica Pioneers.
Fitzpatrick took his first head coaching job in 2013 with the Morrisville Mustangs. He went 3-7 in his first year followed by a 9-2 campaign in 2014 in which the Mustangs won a share of the New Jersey Athletic Conference title. Morrisville joined the Empire 8 in 2015 but never achieved more than 6 wins in Fitzpatrick’s final five seasons. He was 35-38 overall and 22-28 in conference games with Morrisville.
In 2020, Cortland hired Fitzpatrick but did not participate in the 2020-21 season. The 2021 season began a new era of dominance in the Empire 8 for Cortland as they went undefeated in conference games en route to four straight conference titles. The Red Dragons won at least 9 games all four seasons and went 45-5 overall. The crowning achievement was Cortland’s 38-37 win over North Central (IL) in 2023 to win the school’s first national title in football.
Fitzpatrick will replace Stan Dakosty who went 16-29 overall and 12-12 in the Patriot League in his four seasons. Fitzpatrick is scheduled to make his Colgate coaching debut at home on Saturday, August 30, 2025, against Monmouth.
Photo Credit to SUNY Cortland Athletics
