On a recent Sunday in June, Spokane Colleges Athletic Director Jim Fitzgerald was driving home on a trip across Washington state with four hours of road time to himself.
His drive happened to be during the same time when Seattle Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki was being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame and giving his acceptance speech. "Fitz," to those who know him well, listened to Suzuki's speech intently and with pride.
"It was classic Ichiro," said Fitzgerald, who helped to sign the former Japanese League star in 2001 as a scout and front-office member of the Mariners organization.
The day after the baseball world celebrated Suzuki's greatness, Fitz continued the quiet work of cementing his legacy as the visionary leader of Spokane Colleges Athletics. He returned home to hold the first summer Athletics orientation session.
The connection between an iconic pro and community collegiate athletes may not be obvious, but Fitz says there are commonalities: desire, dedication, and discipline. Those are key traits for successful athletes at all levels to emulate.
"The wins and losses are great, but we're in the human development business. We develop humans through athletics," said Fitzgerald. "I really like the DNA of our student-athletes. We've got a great support system. It's a special place. The culture is great. It truly takes a village to get a student-athlete from their first year to walking across the stage and getting a piece of paper that says 'AA Degree'."
Fitzgerald also reminds his student-athletes to enjoy the ride during their journeys.
"I tell them this is one of the few times in your career that you will work on a team for a common goal. When you get out in the workforce, you're probably not going to get that collaboration, and that's what athletics provides," he said.
Community colleges are often a second or last chance for a high school athlete's dream. They can turn out big, as they did for former Olympic decathlete Dan O'Brien (an alumnus) whose story serves as proof that anyone can achieve their biggest goals.
"Some of our kids are first-generation college students. These student-athletes are the first ones in their family to go to college. So, as a staff we take that pretty seriously," he said.
The support services are wraparound: from Athletics staff, to faculty, to student services. The pressure of balancing academics and sports can be overwhelming at times.
"I think the great thing about a community college athletics program is what they get here, being able to give them the resources. The tutoring centers on both campuses are first-class," said Fitz. "I joke with our student-athletes that because of the resources and the people here, you have to try to fail at this school. There are too many safety nets."
Fitzgerald's arrival at Spokane Colleges rounded out a collegiate athletics journey with stops at the University of Washington, Gonzaga University (his alma mater), and Eastern Washington University. He is committed to the students and helping them succeed.
"Our student-athletes at Spokane Colleges are our most valued commodity. I have two daughters at home. I have 250 sons and daughters here," said Fitzgerald. "We need to take care of them; our coaches, support staff, professors, and administration do a great job."
The support from Athletics staff is unconditional. "If there are struggles, every student-athlete has my cellphone number and (Assistant A.D.) A.J. Proszek's number," says Fitzgerald. "The coaches, the support staff, and the community interact with a student-athlete more than their parents will over their two years, good, bad, or indifferent."
There have been hundreds of athletes who have gone on to other universities, but not always as athletes. That's why the habits of being a good student are stressed.
"We take everybody and the success stories are when our coaches tell us, 'Johnny just signed to go to a four-year school' or a baseball player got drafted. Those are good stories, but we support our student-athletes whether they want to play at a four-year school, transfer academically, or get into the workforce. We support whatever you desire."
That journey is unique for each student, but the goal is excellence on and off the field.
"We may not have all the resources, but we out-people other schools and I think our student-athletes recognize that. I tell the kids that hanging the banners and getting championship rings are great. It's the stuff like the relationships you make, the academic preparedness, and getting prepared for the workforce. That's what you will remember."
Fitz says the program's credo is “Once you're a Sasquatch, you're a Sasquatch for life.” That is lived out from the recruiting process, through playing days, to the adult alumni journey.
"We have a special place here," said Fitzgerald. "The best compliment I got is when we had a year-end banquet and a student-athlete stood up and said, ‘I wish Spokane Colleges was a four-year school because I loved my two years here.’ "