Maurice Fitzgerald hired as Hillsboro football coach

Maurice Fitzgerald has been named the next football coach at Hillsboro.

Fitzgerald, who has a 124-82 career record with two state titles in 18 seasons as coach at Pearl-Cohn (1990-2005) and Stratford (2015-16), replaces Craig Clayton, who resigned in late January.

“I’m kind of going back home,” Fitzgerald said. “I grew up in that area and was zoned for that school, so I know some people in that area, and it’s just another opportunity. We’ll see what happens.”

Fitzgerald, who previously served as an assistant at Hillsboro (1985-89), led Stratford to a 19-5 record with a pair of Class 3A playoff appearances in two seasons. The Spartans had won just seven games in the three seasons prior to his arrival.

“Coach Fitzgerald grew up in the Hillsboro area; he taught and coached here during the late 1980’s as an assistant coach, and has two state championships under his belt as a head coach,” Principal Andrew Pelham said in a statement. “Coach Fitzgerald was the right person for the job.”

Unlike at his previous stop, however, Fitzgerald won’t have much rebuilding to do at Hillsboro, which has been among the city’s most successful programs for the past two decades.

Since 2000, Hillsboro has posted a 165-52 record with five undefeated regular seasons, 15 playoff appearances, two state championships and four runner-up finishes. The Burros went 43-21 in five seasons under Clayton.

Fitzgerald, a 1974 Hume-Fogg graduate, has guardianship over two Stratford basketball players, freshman Marcus Fitzgerald, a grandson, and sophomore Donald Fitzgerald, an adopted son. Fitzgerald said there is a possibility that both follow him to Hillsboro.

“I think that there’s an opportunity there,” the coach said. “It’s still not 100 percent, but I think they’re probably leaning towards going (to Hillsboro).”

Per TSSAA rules, both would be eligible immediately.

ReachMichael Murphy atmfmurphy@tennessean.com or 615-259-8262 and on Twitter@Murph_TNsports. 

Maurice Fitzgerald File

Age: 61
High school: Hume-Fogg (1971-74)
Coaching career:
1981-84: Assistant at Pearl-Cohn
1985-89: Assistant at Hillsboro
1990-05: Coach at Pearl-Cohn
2010-13: Coach at Smithson-Craighead Academy
2014: Assistant at Overton
2015-16: Coach at Stratford
Career record: 124-82