Willie Fritz

Willie Fritz, born on April 2, 1960, in Shawnee Mission, Kansas, began his football journey as a defensive back at Pittsburg State, where he was a four-year starter from 1978 to 1981 and played on two conference title teams. He furthered his education by earning a Master of Kinesiology from Sam Houston State in 1986, following graduate assistant roles there from 1984 to 1985. His early coaching career included assistant positions at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School in 1983 and Willis (Texas) High School in 1986. These formative years laid the groundwork for a coaching philosophy focused on fundamental development and program building.

Fritz’s head coaching career commenced at Blinn College from 1993 to 1996, where he transformed the program, achieving a 39-5-1 record and securing two NJCAA National Football Championships in 1995 and 1996. This success led to his induction into the NJCAA Football Hall of Fame. He then moved to the University of Central Missouri, serving as head coach from 1997 to 2009. During his 13 seasons, he guided the Mules to 11 winning seasons, including two 10-win seasons and the program’s first postseason berth in over 30 years in 2001. His tenure at Central Missouri culminated in a 97-47 record, making him the winningest coach in the program’s history and achieving an 84 percent graduation rate among his student-athletes with numerous academic honors.

His impressive track record continued with head coaching roles at Sam Houston State (2010-2013), Georgia Southern (2014-2015), Tulane (2016-2023), and currently, the University of Houston (2024-present). At Sam Houston State, he led the Bearkats to back-to-back Southland Conference titles and two NCAA Division I Championship game appearances. At Georgia Southern, he made history by leading the Eagles to an undefeated conference season in their first FBS year (2014) and earned the Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year award. His time at Tulane saw a remarkable turnaround, highlighted by winning the 2022 American Athletic Conference title and a historic 46-45 victory over #8 USC in the 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic, earning him the Dodd Trophy and George Munger College Coach of the Year Award. His leadership has consistently resulted in significant program improvements and national recognition for the teams he has coached.