Matt Fitzsimons ’27 is an economics major from Somers, N.Y. and the starting quarterback for the Wesleyan football team. Taking over the reins of the Cardinals’ offense from Niko Candido ’25, Fitzsimons has performed masterfully through the first six games of the Red and Black’s season, leading them to a 4–2 record.
On Saturday, Oct. 4, in his third career start, Fitzsimons went 20/23, passing for 365 yards and five touchdowns in the Cards’ 56–14 demolition of the Hamilton Continentals. His five touchdown passes were the most recorded by a Cardinal quarterback since 2016. For his incredible efforts, the New England Football Writers Association (NEFW) awarded Fitzsimons with the Gold Helmet Award, given weekly to the top student athlete playing in New England in Division II/III.
Fitzsimons was also awarded the NESCAC Player of the Week for his dominant performance. Both awards were the first of Fitzsimons’ college career, and he became only the fifth Cardinal in program history to be a Gold Helmet Award winner. Fitzsimons sat down with The Argus to discuss being recognized by both the NEFW and the NESCAC, the Cards’ strong offensive attack, and taking it week by week.
The Argus: When did you first start playing football?
Matt Fitzsimons: I started playing in third grade. That was my first year of tackle football, and I’ve been a quarterback ever since. I’ve played every year for almost 12 years now.
A: Do you have a moment you remember falling in love with the game?
MF: I’m a big [New York] Giants fan, so when I was in first grade, I watched them win the Super Bowl. That was when I was like, “Wow, I love football.”
A: Did you have any quarterbacks or players you looked up to when you were younger?
MF: Definitely Eli [Manning], but right now, I think my favorite quarterback is Josh Allen. Watching him is so much fun. I love the way he plays.
A: When did you first start considering playing in college?
MF: Up until my junior year, I wanted to play basketball in college. Then I realized I didn’t know I was going to be as good as I was at football. That year, I started going to football camps and then found Wesleyan late in the recruiting process.
A: What stood out about Wesleyan?
MF: Part of my recruiting process was I wanted a school that was very academically high, and Wesleyan was the best school that gave me an opportunity. I visited, I loved it here, and it’s been all of those things so far.
A: What is the most rewarding and most challenging part about balancing the student-athlete experience here at Wes?
MF: The most challenging part is balancing your time. You come to realize that there’s not that much time in a day, and balancing academics and athletics is definitely hard, especially since the academics here are very challenging. The most rewarding part is going through a whole week of practice and school, then getting a win on Saturday, and then celebrating with the team on Saturday night. It’s the best feeling a student athlete can have.
A: You’ve spent the last two years backing up Candido. What was most valuable about learning under him your first and second year?
MF: He was definitely a special player. His biggest thing that I realized was he had no quit in him. No matter how many big hits he’d take or how many mistakes he’d make, he would never quit. He won some games for us last year that didn’t look like it was possible to win. He definitely showed me that winning is a challenge, and it takes a lot of diligence from a team.
A: As the starter, you’ve put together a quite impressive season, highlighted by this Hamilton game, where you went 20-23, 365 yards, and 5 touchdowns. What was working for you during that game that allowed for that much success?
MF: What worked best, honestly, was my receivers and my offensive line. They gave me so much time back there. My receivers knew exactly how to get open in their routes, and things were clicking for us.
A: You were awarded both the Gold Helmet Award by the New England Football Writers and NESCAC Player of the Week. What was your reaction to receiving those honors?
MF: I didn’t know the gravity of both awards, but once it hit me, I was very proud of myself and the work that I put in to achieve them. But to me, personal awards are cool and all, but the biggest award for me would be winning the NESCAC championship.
A: As defending champs, has there been any pressure you’ve felt to repeat?
MF: No, I don’t look at it that way. There’s just so many other guys around me that I feel like I don’t have to do it all by myself, starting with our offensive line. Our O-line has been amazing, and they’ve really helped me and the receivers be who we are this season. Our receivers have been off the charts this year. Ultimately, I don’t think that there’s a lot of pressure on me, just because I know that our coaches are going to put us in a great situation to succeed, and I feel confident that we’re going to execute.
A: Heading into the rest of the season, as you stare down the Little Three and Trinity, what are you most looking forward to?
MF: These are definitely big rivalries these next three games, but we can’t look too far ahead, so I’m looking forward to Amherst this week. It’s homecoming, [and] we should have the advantage of a big home crowd, so that’s what I’m excited for. These past two years I’ve been here, the homecoming game has been such a great experience for me. We’ve won both years; our crowd has been going crazy. That’s definitely what I’m looking forward to most. As a team, I think it’s cool that we control our own destiny. Even though we have two losses, if we win these next three games, not only will we win the Little Three, but we get a share of the NESCAC title.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Max Forstein can be reached at mforstein@wesleyan.edu.
Leave a Reply