Larry Fitzgerald: From College Standout to NFL Legend

Larry Darnell Fitzgerald Jr., born on August 31, 1983, is an American former professional football player whose remarkable journey began in college and culminated in a stellar NFL career. Best known as a wide receiver for 17 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, Fitzgerald's path to success was paved with dedication, talent, and a strong work ethic. This article explores Fitzgerald's college career with the Pittsburgh Panthers, highlighting his achievements and the impact he made before transitioning to the NFL.

Early Influences and Background

Fitzgerald's passion for football ignited early. As a teenager, he served as a ball boy for the Minnesota Vikings under coach Dennis Green. This experience provided him with a unique opportunity to observe and learn from NFL stars like Cris Carter, Warren Moon, Joey Browner, Randy Moss, and Robert Smith. Fitzgerald reflected in a 2015 interview, noting that witnessing their work ethic and dedication was an "eye-opening experience" that shaped his approach to the game. His father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., is a sportswriter for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder.

College Career at Pittsburgh

Fitzgerald's collegiate career at the University of Pittsburgh, though brief, was nothing short of spectacular. He played for the Pittsburgh Panthers and quickly established himself as a dominant force. Although Fitzgerald played at Pitt for only two years without redshirting, he petitioned the NFL to allow him to enter the NFL draft, as he had left his high school, Academy of Holy Angels, during his senior year to attend Valley Forge Military Academy. The NFL granted an exception to allow Fitzgerald to enter the draft, as Fitzgerald had convinced the NFL that the time he spent at VFMA, combined with his time at Pitt, was the minimum three years removed from high school to make him eligible for the draft.

Freshman Season: An Instant Impact

In his freshman season, Fitzgerald immediately became a key contributor. His natural talent and dedication allowed him to make an immediate impact on the team.

Sophomore Season: A Stellar Year

Fitzgerald had a stellar sophomore season in 2003, marked by exceptional performances and numerous accolades.

Key Games and Performances

Fitzgerald demonstrated consistent excellence throughout the 2003 season:

Boston College: He started November with seven receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown in a 24-13 victory.
Virginia Tech: Against #5 Virginia Tech, he had eight receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown in a 31-28 upset victory.
West Virginia: Fitzgerald added another great performance against West Virginia with nine receptions for 185 yards and two touchdowns in a 52-31 loss.
Temple: Against Temple, he had seven receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers won 30-16. This game marked his sixth consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards.

His impressive streak ended against #10 Miami with three receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown in a 28-14 loss. Despite the season-low yardage, he recorded his 12th consecutive game with at least one touchdown reception in the 2003 season, and 18th straight game with a touchdown reception dating back to the previous season.

2003 Continental Tire Bowl

Pitt finished with an 8-4 record in the regular season and qualified for a bowl game. In the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl, the final game of his collegiate career, Fitzgerald had five receptions for 77 yards against Virginia, though the team suffered a 23-16 loss.

Accolades and Recognition

After his sophomore season, Fitzgerald was recognized as one of the best players in the NCAA. He earned several prestigious awards, including:

2003 Walter Camp Award
Touchdown Club of Columbus's Chic Harley Award
2003 Biletnikoff Award (nation's outstanding receiver in college football)
Touchdown Club's Paul Warfield Award

Fitzgerald's Career Stats vs. Notre Dame

Fitzgerald played once at Notre Dame Stadium in 2002 and then at the then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh in 2003. Notre Dame managed to win both games, and hold Fitzgerald well under his college career averages in both.

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2002: Notre Dame 14, Pittsburgh 6 (South Bend, Ind.)Fitzgerald: 7 receptions for 83 yards, 0 touchdowns2003: Notre Dame 20, Pittsburgh 14 (Pittsburgh, Penn.)Fitzgerald: 5 receptions for 79 yards, 2 touchdowns

During his college career, he averaged over 107 yards and more than one touchdown per game.

Jersey Retirement

On July 1, 2013, Fitzgerald's #1 jersey was retired by the University of Pittsburgh, a testament to his lasting legacy at the school.

Transition to the NFL

Following his stellar sophomore year, Fitzgerald declared for the NFL Draft. After his tremendous sophomore year, Fitzgerald was selected third overall in the 2004 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals, whose then coach, Dennis Green, knew Fitzgerald from his time as a Vikings ball boy. He was the first wide receiver to be selected in the 2004 NFL Draft.

2004 NFL Draft

Fitzgerald's exceptional college performance made him a highly sought-after prospect. The Arizona Cardinals, under the guidance of coach Dennis Green, selected him with the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. This was a significant moment, reuniting Fitzgerald with Green, who had known him since his days as a ball boy for the Vikings.

Read also: Exploring Larry David's Early Life

NFL Career with the Arizona Cardinals

Fitzgerald's transition to the NFL was seamless, and he quickly became a cornerstone of the Arizona Cardinals' offense.

Early Years (2004-2007)

Fitzgerald made his NFL debut against the St. Louis Rams in the season opener on September 12. In the 17-10 loss, he had four receptions for 70 yards. In the fifth game of the season on October 10, he had his first career touchdown reception, a 24-yard pass from Josh McCown, against the San Francisco 49ers. On December 19, against the St. Fitzgerald started his second NFL season catching 13 receptions for a former career-high 155 yards and a touchdown in a 42-19 loss to the New York Giants in the season opener on September 11. Fitzgerald's season was strong throughout, finding the endzone in ten separate games and totaling seven games with over 100 receiving yards. In 2005, Fitzgerald led the NFL with 103 receptions for 1,409 yards, which ranked fourth in the NFL, and ten touchdowns, which ranked fifth in the NFL. He was named to his first Pro Bowl. Fitzgerald teamed with Anquan Boldin to create one of the most productive wide receiver tandems in the NFL. Fitzgerald started his third NFL season with nine receptions for 133 yards in a 34-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. He had his first touchdown of the season in Week 3, 14-16 loss to the St. In the Cardinals' fourth game, Fitzgerald had ten receptions for 120 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 21-14 victory. In the next game, he had his first touchdown of the season against the St. As part of his Pro Bowl season, Fitzgerald caught 100 passes for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Peak Performance and Super Bowl XLIII (2008-2009)

Following the 2007 season, he signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension with Arizona. The 2008 season marked a huge year for Fitzgerald in terms of individual accomplishment and team success. He totaled seven games going over the 100-yard mark, including two games eclipsing the 150-yard barrier. Fitzgerald finished the regular season with 96 receptions for 1,431 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns. In his playoff debut, Fitzgerald had six receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown in a 30-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card Round. In the Divisional Round, he had eight receptions for 166 yards in the 33-13 upset victory over the second-seeded Carolina Panthers. During the NFC Championship for the 2008 NFL season, Fitzgerald tied an NFL record with three touchdown receptions in a playoff game. His three touchdown catches occurred in the first half; he became the first player in NFL history to accomplish that feat in a conference championship game. As a result of the 32-25 victory over the Eagles, Fitzgerald and the Cardinals represented the NFC in Super Bowl XLIII. During Super Bowl XLIII, Fitzgerald caught two touchdown passes in the game. Fitzgerald followed up his great 2008 season by catching two more touchdown passes in the 2009 Pro Bowl, earning him MVP honors. After the Pro Bowl was over, it was revealed that Fitzgerald had been playing at least the whole postseason with a broken left thumb as well as torn cartilage in the same hand.

Continued Excellence (2010-2017)

Fitzgerald started the 2010 season recording a go-ahead 21-yard receiving touchdown in the fourth quarter against the St. Louis Rams in a 17-13 victory. On October 31, in Week 8, he had six receptions for 72 yards and two touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 38-35 loss. On the season, he totaled three games with over 100 receiving yards. Fitzgerald had a consistently strong season in 2011. He went over the 100-yard mark six times, including three games where he just missed the 150-yard mark. In the 2012 season, Fitzgerald had two games going over the 100-yard mark. In the offseason, Fitzgerald turned 30. He started the 2013 season with eight receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns against the St. Louis Rams. In the sixth game of the season, he recorded his first performance of the season topping 100 yards against the San Francisco 49ers. Overall, on the season, Fitzgerald had 82 receptions for 954 yards and ten touchdowns as the Cardinals improved to a 10-6 record from the previous season of 5-11. Fitzgerald was a stable part of the Cardinals' offense in 2014. However, the lack of stability at the quarterback position put a hindrance on the team's overall performance as four different quarterbacks saw time for the Cardinals that year. He started his 11th professional season against the San Diego Chargers. In the game, he only had one reception for 22 yards. He did not have his first touchdown of the season until the fifth game of the season against the Washington Redskins. On October 26 against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had seven receptions for a season-high 160 yards and a touchdown, which was a career-high 80-yard reception, to earn his third career NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Two weeks later, he had nine receptions for 112 yards against the St. For the 2015 season, Fitzgerald had 109 catches, which was tied for fifth in the NFL, for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns. For his accomplishments during the 2015 season, Fitzgerald was selected to the Pro Bowl for the ninth time. On January 16, 2016, Fitzgerald helped his quarterback Carson Palmer record his first playoff win with eight catches for a franchise-record 176 yards in the NFC Divisional Round game against the Green Bay Packers in a Week 16 rematch. Fitzgerald was the Cardinals' entire offense in overtime, with a 75-yard reception to open overtime, and a five-yard touchdown reception from Palmer two plays later, which resulted in a 26-20 win. He was held to four receptions for 30 yards in the NFC Championship against the Carolina Panthers. With the retirements of Steve Smith and Anquan Boldin at the end of 2016, the 34-year-old Fitzgerald entered the 2017 season as the career leader in receptions and receiving yards among active players.

Later Years and Retirement (2018-2020)

In Week 3, on Monday Night Football, Fitzgerald had 149 receiving yards on 13 receptions, which tied his career high, and a touchdown in a 28-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, his highest output in almost three years. His 13 receptions tied Jarvis Landry's performance in Week 2 for the most receptions in a single game by any player in the 2017 season. The next week, he caught a 19-yard sudden death touchdown from Palmer with 0:31 left in overtime to defeat the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 18-15. In Week 6, Fitzgerald had 10 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown in a 38-33 victory over Tampa Bay, and 10 receptions for 113 yards in Week 10's Thursday Night Football 22-16 loss to Seattle, joining Antonio Brown as the only players with three games of 10+ receptions in 2017, and briefly passing Brown for the league lead in receptions. On November 17, 2017, Fitzgerald signed a one-year contract extension with the Cardinals worth $11 million through the 2018 season. In Week 13, against the Los Angeles Rams, Fitzgerald had 10 receptions, his fourth game in double digits, for 98 yards and his fifth touchdown in the 32-16 loss. In Week 16, against the New York Giants, he had nine receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown. In addition, he completed a 21-yard pass in the 23-0 victory. He tied his career-best with 109 receptions, finishing second to Jarvis Landry, and finished eighth in the NFL with 1,156 receiving yards. In Week 14, against the Detroit Lions, Fitzgerald set an NFL record for most receptions with one team with 1,282. The gloves he used in that game and the ball he caught were sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In Week 16, Fitzgerald threw the first touchdown pass of his NFL career, a 32-yard pass to David Johnson for the first Cardinals score in the eventual 31-9 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. On January 15, 2020, Fitzgerald re-signed with the Cardinals on a one-year deal worth $11 million. On November 26, 2020, Fitzgerald was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus, and was activated on December 8. Overall, Fitzgerald appeared in 13 games in the 2020 season. He finished the season with a career-low 54 receptions for 409 receiving yards and one touchdown, which occurred in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles. In what ended up as his final professional game, he caught six passes for 28 yards against the San Francisco 49ers on December 26 in a 20-12 loss.

Legacy and Achievements

Throughout his NFL career, Fitzgerald achieved numerous milestones and accolades:

11-time Pro Bowl selection
First-team All-Pro in 2008
Second-team All-Pro in 2009 and 2011
NFL record for most receptions with one team (1,282)

Fitzgerald finished his career with the second-most receptions (1,432) and receiving yards (17,492) in NFL history.

Beyond Football

Fitzgerald's interests and activities extend beyond the football field.

Business Ventures

On January 22, 2020, Fitzgerald bought a minority stake in the NBA's Phoenix Suns to become a partial team owner. Prior to his retirement, Fitzgerald was the second active NFL player behind Aaron Rodgers to hold an ownership stake with a franchise in the NBA. Fitzgerald is an active venture investor, having invested in 40 to 50 companies as of October 2019.

Golf

Beyond his football career, Fitzgerald is an avid golfer and has competed in numerous high-profile tournaments. Fitzgerald has been a frequent participant in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, one of the most prestigious pro-am golf tournaments.

Broadcasting

Fitzgerald began as an analyst for ESPN in September 2022, where he provides commentary and analysis throughout the NFL season.

Philanthropy

Fitzgerald established the “Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund” to help kids and their families by funding positive activities for kids during the summer and throughout the year, supporting kids and families in crisis and supporting health-related organizations that work with families. One initiative the “First Down Fund” holds each summer are youth football camps in Arizona and Minnesota. In May 2014, Fitzgerald and Lenovo provided five schools in Minneapolis and four schools in Phoenix Lenovo tablets and equipment to enable the children to gain access to technology. The First Down Fund made a donation to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation to help refurbish a basketball court at Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Park. The court received new hoops, poles, backboards and benches. Fitzgerald established the “Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund” in honor of his mother, who died of breast cancer in 2003. The organization offers support to causes that Fitzgerald's mother held dear, including educating urban youth about HIV/AIDS and breast cancer issues. In August 2012, he was honored with the 14th annual Pro Football Weekly Arthur S. During the 2013 season, Fitzgerald was honored with the NFL Players Association Georgetown Lombardi Award. In 2014, Fitzgerald was selected as the 2014 Henry P.

Hall of Fame Eligibility

Fitzgerald is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 2026. Given his exceptional career and achievements, he is widely expected to be a first-ballot selection.

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