Big Ten football coach getting lifetime contract?

Top Northwestern officials are so determined not to let the same thing happen with coach Pat Fitzgerald, they are working on a lucrative and comprehensive contract extension that they hope will make him a Northwestern lifer. It is expected to be formalized in the next few weeks. Fitzgerald already has a deal through 2015, but athletic director Jim Phillips met with him in November and told him the school wanted to enhance it after the season — plus address any issues Fitzgerald had regarding NU’s commitment to the program. Fitzgerald, 36 with three kids and a $2.3 million home in Northfield, is not driven by money, those close to him say. — Chicago Tribune