On a cold, wintry day outside of Cedar City, Utah, DeLane Fitzgerald walks into a restaurant planning to spend a few quiet minutes talking football. He doesn’t make it more than 10 feet through the door before the familiar and constant chorus begins.
“Hey coach.”
“Fitz, great seeing you!”
“How’s recruiting going?”
“What a season. Keep it rolling.”
From the waitress behind the counter to a patron leaning on the bar, the greetings come fast. It feels like a scene lifted straight from Friday Night Lights, the old-school ball coach still wearing his roots comfortably. Even on game days, Fitzgerald is the type to have a whistle hanging around his neck, not for show, but out of habit.
There are interruptions, too, the kind that come with knowing a place inside and out.
“That’s the owner over there,” Fitzgerald says quietly, nodding. “That’s a donor’s kid who just got into medical school.”
As a couple heads for the door with takeout boxes, Fitzgerald raises a hand and offers congratulations. They’re moving to Idaho this summer.
He knows them.
They know him.
At Southern Utah, Fitzgerald isn’t just the head football coach. He’s part of the fabric of the community.
Weathering The Start
The 2025 season didn’t begin the way anyone in Cedar City envisioned. Southern Utah opened 1-5, the kind of start that can fracture a locker room or quietly derail a year.
Instead, the Thunderbirds locked in.
“That’s a complete credit to our team for not giving up on the season,” Fitzgerald said. “There’s always adversity. There’s always something that can distract you, especially when you’re sitting at 1-5 with little to no momentum.”
Southern Utah responded by winning its last six games of the year, finishing 7-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play. It marked the program’s fourth winning season in five years and continued a stretch of sustained success the school has rarely seen in its 90-year football history. The program has never had four straight winning seasons.
“We’re mentally tough as a team, as a program and as a coaching staff,” Fitzgerald said. “That doesn’t just show up on Saturdays. That’s built every single day.”
The numbers back it up. The 2025 Thunderbirds produced the No. 1 offense in school history, posted the highest winning percentage the program has ever recorded, and, for the first time ever, had three All-Americans in the same season. Southern Utah also became the first program in its history to produce both the offensive (Joshua Dye) and defensive player of the year (Lando Brown) in the same year.
Even by Southern Utah standards, it was a season that rewrote multiple sections of the record book.
A Program Built, Not Found
Fitzgerald has never shied away from acknowledging the reality of the job.
“We’ve absolutely had challenges,” he said. “It’s no secret that Southern Utah football, outside of a short window, hasn’t always been viewed as a destination job or a top coaching job in the league.”
That perspective is earned. Fitzgerald is one of the few head coaches in college football history to win a game at every level: NAIA, Division III, Division II, FCS, and FBS. His path includes stops at Southern Virginia, Frostburg State, and now Southern Utah, with success following each move.
At Frostburg State, Fitzgerald inherited a program coming off eight straight losing seasons. By the time he left, he was the winningest coach in school history, had led the Bobcats through a transition from Division III to Division II, and delivered a conference championship along the way. He was inducted into the Frostburg State Hall of Fame in 2023. While at Frostburg, he won three conference titles and coach of the year awards.
That background matters at Southern Utah, where progress has rarely been linear.
“I want young men who want to compete,” Fitzgerald said. “Guys who want to become better and play against some of the best competition in the country. It’s also what is expected by myself, coaching staff, and this community.”
Stability Amid Change
If there’s one constant during Fitzgerald’s tenure at Southern Utah, it’s been change. In five years, the Thunderbirds have had five athletic directors. Few programs navigate that level of administrative turnover without friction.
“Change is constant,” Fitzgerald said. “But it can’t become a crutch for why you’re not succeeding. Does stability help? Oh, absolutely. At the same time, every leader has brought something unique to the program and to me as a head coach.”
That adaptability has become part of the culture.
“Every AD has their own vision,” Fitzgerald said. “Our staff has to be nimble enough to adjust while staying true to what we believe and know.”
In August of 2024, Southern Utah rewarded that approach with a contract extension keeping Fitzgerald in Cedar City through 2028.
The Big Sky Ahead
The timing matters, especially for Fitz. Southern Utah will leave the United Athletic Conference in June of this year and rejoin the Big Sky Conference football slate in July, returning to a league widely regarded as one of the premier FCS conferences.
“The Big Sky is one of, if not the best, FCS leagues in the country,” Fitzgerald said. “We want to hit the ground running and be ready to set the tone in conference play.”
The challenge is familiar. Montana State, Montana, and a rotating cast of contenders make the Big Sky a weekly grind.
“You want to compete with the best, top to bottom, and that’s the Big Sky,” Fitzgerald said. “Look at Montana State, who won the national title this year. Two of the final four teams. Year in and year out, it’s going to be a battle.”
Home In The High Desert
Cedar City itself has played a quiet role in the program’s rise. Southern Utah has won four straight home seasons for the first time in school history, turning Eccles Coliseum into an advantage. The 2024 win at UTEP marked the program’s third victory over an FBS opponent, another milestone in the climb.
“Cedar City and the surrounding area are beautiful,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t get out much, even for personal vacations, but it’s a privilege to look out the window every day and see one of the best settings in college football.”
It’s the kind of place where people notice, where they stop you before you can make it to your table.
Back at the restaurant, Fitzgerald finally sits down. Another wave, another nod. Another quick word exchanged.
Fitz knows them. They know Fitz.
And at Southern Utah, that connection has become the foundation for something that looks increasingly sustainable, built not on shortcuts or headlines, but on patience, toughness, and the long game.
