NEW ORLEANS — For the past six seasons, Tulane football has been led by a Kansas City native.
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School graduate Willie Frtiz is the Green Wave head coach.
Willie Fritz played football at Pittsburg State University. As a gorilla, he's not a big Jayhawk fan, but he will be this weekend.
His brother Ed Fritz coached one of KU's stars, Christian Braun, in high school at Blue Valley Northwest.
"I got to know a lot of those guys (Ed's former players) because Eddie has coached them for a long period of time," said Willie Fritz to KSHB 41 Sports Friday at Tulane's football complex.
Braun isn't the first of Ed Fritz's players to star on the college basketball stage.
Clayton Custer and Ben Richardson were former Huskies that led the 2018 Loyola-Chicago team on a Cinderella run to the Final Four.
"When my nephew was playing for Eddie, they had those two kids who played for Loyola-Chicago, and I think they all started playing together in second grade," Willie Fritz said.
Ed, who is currently the boy's basketball coach at North Kansas City, and his wife Ann, the girl's basketball coach at Blue Valley North, are staying with Willie.
But they won't be the only KU fans in the house.
"When KU's on, I'll watch because my wife went to KU and to watch Christian. He's had a sensational career there," Willie Fritz said.
Great time hanging with Tulane head football coach Willie Fritz and UMKC assistant basketball coach Vince Fritz. North Kansas City boys basketball coach Ed Fritz is coming later with Blue Valley North girls basketball coach Ann Fritz. #knowyourfritzes pic.twitter.com/ZFJYIzlT6x
— Mick Shaffer (@mickshaffer) April 1, 2022
