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Michigan State announced Monday that it has hired Pat Fitzgerald to be its new football coach.

The hiring comes a day after the Spartans fired coach Jonathan Smith, who went 9-15 over two seasons. Fitzgerald, who coached Northwestern for 17 seasons, will be introduced at a news conference at 2 p.m. Tuesday in East Lansing, Mich.

Fitzgerald immediately emerged as a serious candidate Sunday when the job came open, and the sides talked Monday to finalize the deal, which a source said is for five years.

“Pat Fitzgerald is widely recognized as an exceptional football coach, whose teams play with extreme toughness and grit, demonstrate continual improvement and maximize potential,” Michigan State athletic director J Batt said in a statement.

“P

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