Northwestern hasn't won a bowl game since 1948, but Washington Redskins defensive tackle and Wildcats alum Barry Cofield sees the arrow trending upward for the football program.
"The program is taking off. Fitz Pat Fitzgerald was the right man for the job. He's got the program going in the right direction," an excited Cofield told CSNChicago.com.
While Cofield attended Northwestern, Fitzgerald was the team's linebackers coach before taking over the team in 2006 after the passing of the late Randy Walker. In Cofield's four seasons with the Wildcats, he registered 197 tackles, 6.5 sacks and earned Second-team All-Big Ten honors as a senior in 2005.
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The list of Northwestern players in the NFL isn't that long (14 total), but Cofield stays in touch with them as much as he can, including Bears linebacker Nick Roach and defensive end Corey Wootton.
"Northwestern's NFL network isn't that big, so we all stay in touch," Cofield told CSNChicago.com.
The former New York Giants Super Bowl champion still watches as many NU games as he can and is still holding out hope for a bowl victory.
"It's exciting to watch them play. I'm just hoping they can win a bowl game here," Cofield told CSNChicago.com.