Jehuu Caulcrick called Gabe Viscomi the day after Michigan State beat Michigan. He wanted a shirt in time for Pat Fitzgerald’s Wednesday radio show, and he already knew what it should say: “Good Clean American Fun.”
The phrase had come up again on the postgame show after the Spartans’ win in Ann Arbor, and Caulcrick had seen fans talking about it on social media. Viscomi, the co-founder of Nudge Printing, had the shirt ready by Wednesday. Caulcrick gave it to Fitzgerald on the Veterans Day broadcast.
“Those guys are awesome,” Caulcrick said of Nudge Printing. “They do a really good job.”
Caulcrick liked that the show fell on Veterans Day. He said that caused him to think about the men and women who serve and the freedom that allows people to go out and enjoy themselves. When Fitzgerald saw the shirt, he joked about having trademarked the words. The next morning, the two were talking about where the money could go if they made more of them.
Caulcrick told Fitzgerald that Viscomi was willing to help raise money for charity.
“Oh, I love those guys at Nudge. That is great,” Caulcrick recalled Fitzgerald saying. Then Fitzgerald asked whether they could do hoodies, too. Winter was coming, and Caulcrick was all for it.
On Friday, Fitzgerald took the fundraiser public. “Thanks Nudge! Let’s raise a bunch of money for some amazing charities!” he wrote on X.
Editor's Note: Nudge Printing is a sponsor of Spartans Illustrated.
Caulcrick remembers first hearing the phrase when Fitzgerald broke down the team and sent players off to have some fun. He couldn’t pin down whether it was in the spring or summer, but he remembers what he and his fellow postgame radio hosts did with it.
After a win, they would send players off from post-game interviews with the same line. By the time Michigan State beat Michigan, it was familiar enough for fans to repeat it back online.
For Caulcrick, the phrase brought to mind the hours he spent with teammates away from football during his playing days. He said that time together is harder to come by now, with players transferring in and out and fewer teammates going through the ups and downs of college together. He described it as “hanging out with your boys” and “being safe and smart - while having fun with your boys.”
The earliest public account of Fitzgerald using the phrase dates to October 2014. Students had rushed Ryan Field after Northwestern’s 20–14 win over Wisconsin. At his next press conference, Fitzgerald said he was all for good, clean American fun.
A year later, at a joint Outback Bowl press conference with Tennessee coach Butch Jones, Fitzgerald called the bowl trip a reward both teams had earned. When it was time to prepare, he expected players to focus. When it was time for some good, clean American fun, he told them to “go cut it loose and party your tail off.”
He used it again after Northwestern beat Pitt in the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. The team was staying in New York that night. “Guys are going to have good, clean, American fun,” he said. By 2021, Northwestern had put the words in the title of a two-hour documentary.
At Michigan State’s Spring Showcase in April, Fitzgerald brought the Spartans together at midfield after the scrimmage. Players spun around baseball bats, ran toward the end zone, and ate hot dogs. The team sang the fight song with the band.
At Big Ten Media Days, the phrase came up in conversation again. After the season-opening win over Toledo, he said he wanted players to enjoy victories with friends and family. He gave them about 24 hours to process a win or a loss before moving on.
“Have good, clean, American fun, which is have fun, but understand the rules of the road and look after each other,” Fitzgerald said.
How to order
Nudge Printing is taking preorders for adult T-shirts ($25.99), youth T-shirts ($21.99), and adult hoodies ($49.99). The green apparel features the phrase around a white American flag design.
Twenty-five percent of every purchase goes to the Ronald McDonald House of Mid-Michigan, the Greater Lansing Food Bank, and the Stronger Warrior Foundation. The apparel will be made to order once preorders close and is expected to ship about three weeks after the preorder window closes.
Shop the Good Clean American Fun collection at Nudge Printing by clicking here.
