Ithaca College Athletic Hall of Fame
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Joe Fitzgerald played three seasons as a quarterback under legendary Hall of Fame coach Jim Butterfield in the early 1990s and was a member of the 1991 national championship team that went 12-1. Fitzgerald continued his athletic career as a handball player from 1993 to 2004 on the USA National Team after graduating from Ithaca.
Fitzgerald appeared in 22 games at quarterback, but stepped into the starting role as a senior in 1992. During that 9-2 campaign, Ithaca led all of Division III in rushing offense with 306.5 yards a game and was third in the nation in total offense at 419.9 yards per outing. The Bombers eclipsed 40 or more points in six contests and finished the season with an average of 38.6 points per game.
As a senior, Fitzgerald ran for 593 yards and four touchdowns and passed for 845 yards with 11 more scores. He led Ithaca in total offense that season with an average of 143.8 yards per game.
On the world stage, Fitzgerald competed in the 1996 Olympics Games in Atlanta – the last handball team to qualify for the Olympics – as part of his 12-year professional handball career. He was named the USA Team Handball Athlete of the Year in 2001, and was on the Pan-American Team in 1999 and 2003. That 2003 squad was a bronze medalist in the Games. Fitzgerald also played one year professionally in Sweden.
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