Walt Fitzgerald

Walter D. Fitzgerald (October 28, 1922 – March 18, 2010) was an American football official who was a referee in the American Football League from 1961 to 1969 and the National Football League in 1970. Fitzgerald was also an ice hockey player and coach, playing for the Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey team and coaching the UMass Minutemen.

Hockey

Fitzgerald was a defenceman for the Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey team from 1941 to 1943 and was a member of the BC team that captured the 1942 Amateur Athletic Union Championship. He was also a member of the 1943 Boston College Eagles football team. After graduating, he joined the Boston Olympics of the Eastern Hockey League, but his rights were transferred to the expansion Brooklyn Crescents. He attended the University of Notre Dame as part of the V-12 Navy College Training Program and served as an officer in the United States Navy during World War II and the Korean War.

Coaching

From 1946 to 1986, Fizgerald was a physical education teacher in the Boston Public Schools. From 1954 to 1980, he coached baseball, football, and ice hockey at the Boston Trade High School for Boys.

In 1949, Fitzgerald was named hockey coach at the University of Massachusetts. The Minutemen went 2–3–2 in their only season under Fitzgerald.

Officiating

Fitzgerald officiated high school and college football games in Massachusetts. He was a referee in the American Football League from 1961 to 1969 and in the National Football League for one season (1970) following the AFL–NFL merger. He was the referee for the 1966 and 1968 American Football League Championship Games.

Personal life and death

Fitzgerald resided in Dorchester, Boston and was a winter resident of Naples, Florida for 23 years. He died on March 18, 2010 in Naples following surgery. He was predeceased by his wife and survived by three children. He was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury, Massachusetts.

References

1 2 "Fitzgerald Named U Mass Hockey Coach". The Boston Globe. December 2, 1949.
1 2 3 4 5 Pave, Marvin (March 24, 2010). "Walter Fitzgerald Jr., AFL referee, teacher; at 87". The Boston Globe.
↑ "11 Hockey Players Sent To Crescents". The New York Times. December 9, 1943. ProQuest 106734568.
↑ "Massachusetts Men's Hockey History". USCHO. Retrieved 11 November 2026.
↑ "Walt Fiztgeralds (sic)". Pro Football Archive. Retrieved 11 November 2026.
↑ "Pick Officials For Title Game". El Paso Herald - Post. December 24, 1966. ProQuest 2733572694.
↑ "Jets, Raiders Clash for AFL Crown". The Hartford Courant. December 29, 1968. ProQuest 549986848.

[UMass-1] 1 2 "Fitzgerald Named U Mass Hockey Coach". The Boston Globe. December 2, 1949.

[Obituary-2] 1 2 3 4 5 Pave, Marvin (March 24, 2010). "Walter Fitzgerald Jr., AFL referee, teacher; at 87". The Boston Globe.

[3] "11 Hockey Players Sent To Crescents". The New York Times. December 9, 1943. ProQuest 106734568.

[4] "Massachusetts Men's Hockey History". USCHO. Retrieved 11 November 2026.

[5] "Walt Fiztgeralds (sic)". Pro Football Archive. Retrieved 11 November 2026.

[6] "Pick Officials For Title Game". El Paso Herald - Post. December 24, 1966. ProQuest 2733572694.

[7] "Jets, Raiders Clash for AFL Crown". The Hartford Courant. December 29, 1968. ProQuest 549986848.

v t e UMass Minutemen ice hockey
Formerly the Massachusetts Agricultural Aggies, Massachusetts State Aggies and UMass Redmen
Playing venues	Campus Pond (1908–1939, 1947–1951, 1953–1979) Mullins Center (1993–present)
Head coaches	Elton J. Mansell (1917–1922) Herbert Collins (1922–1923) Howard R. Gordon (1923–1924) Lorin Ball (1924–1939) Tommy Filmore (1947–1949) Walt Fitzgerald (1949–1950) Bill Needham (1950–1951) Mel Massucco (1953–1954) Steve Kosakowski (1954–1967) Jack Canniff (1967–1979) Joe Mallen (1993–2000) Don Cahoon (2000–2012) John Micheletto (2012–2016) Greg Carvel (2016–present)
Seasons	1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
Conference affiliations	Independent (1908–39, 1947–51, 1953–61, 1993–94) ECAC Hockey (1961–1964) ECAC 2 (1964–1979) Program suspended (1939–47, 1951–53, 1979–93) Hockey East (1994–present)
All-time leaders	Statistical leaders Pat Keenan (180 Points) Pat Keenan (105 Goals) Matt Murray (52 Wins)
National championships	2021
Frozen Four appearances	2019 2021
NCAA Tournament appearances	2007 2019 2021 2022 2024
Conference Tournament titles	ECAC 2: 1972 Hockey East: 2021 2022
Hobey Baker winners	Cale Makar (2019)
University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA