PITTSBURGH — Even after one of the greatest NFL careers by a receiver, Larry Fitzgerald was still caught by surprise when he learned he had been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in February.
The former University of Pittsburgh and Arizona Cardinals star was invited onto a friend’s boat. When he boarded, he saw fellow Hall of Famer and close friend Randy Moss.
“It just caught me out of left field,” Fitzgerald told Channel 11’s Shelby Cassesse. “Immediately, I think the gravity of it hit me as soon as I saw Randy.”
Moss welcomed Fitzgerald to the Hall of Fame with a hug.
“I was just profoundly grateful,” Fitzgerald said. “Immediately, my mind started flooding with all the people that have been a part of my journey.”
To the surprise of few, Fitzgerald becomes just the eighth wide receiver named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Still, he doesn’t want fans to place too much importance on that distinction.
“I’m elated to be able to accomplish it on the first ballot, but I don’t necessarily like or love the fact that there’s so much of a emphasis put on it,” Fitzgerald said. “When you walk into that room and you see those busts, you’re not aligned by the time that you got in and what class you went into, like none of that stuff matters. This is a fraternity of the greatest players, contributors and coaches that have ever done it. I think the emphasis should be moreso put on that.”
Before his incredible 17-year NFL career, all with the Cardinals, Fitzgerald played two prolific seasons at Pitt.
In just 26 collegiate games, he set a school record for receiving touchdowns and was the first player in school history with back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Though it was a brief stay in Pittsburgh, Fitzgerlad said the university and the city had a lasting impact on his life.
“A lot of things stood out,” he said. “Just the leadership from the top on down, from Chancellor (Mark) Nordenberg to just regular people in the community, it all kind of made it very crystal clear that this is where I needed to be. It was just something that I felt in my heart that it was the right place for me, and looking back, I couldn’t have chosen a better university, a better community.”
Fitzgerald said he still returns to Pittsburgh five or six times each year. He sits on the board of Dick’s Sporting Goods and likes to catch a round of golf while he’s in town.
“I came there as a boy, and I left as a man,” Fitzgerald said. “I love Pittsburgh. It’s always going to hold a special place in my heart.”
Reflecting on his long career, Fitzgerald laughed while recalling one brief strain in his relationship with Pittsburgh after the Cardinals lost to the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII.
“The only time I would say my relationship with the City of Pittsburgh ever was compromised was in 2009,” he said with a smile. “I had people that I thought really cared about me when I played against the Steelers in the Super Bowl. I realized they didn’t really like me as much as I thought they did, but yeah, it was a great journey for 17 years.”
Fitzgerald was an 11-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. He is second all-time in receiving yards and receptions, as well as sixth in receiving touchdowns.
He said his success and longevity came from an internal drive to continually improve.
“I was intrinsically motivated to be the very best at what I did,” Fitzgerald said. “Obviously, it wasn’t always rosy. It wasn’t always perfect. We didn’t win a ton of games every single year. There were some real bleak times, but I think those things taught me a lot of lessons about life and have helped me assimilate a little bit better after the game, as well. I wouldn’t have changed my journey at all.”
As Fitzgerald prepares for Hall of Fame weekend in Canton, he said the plays that mean the most aren’t necessarily the touchdowns that made highlight reels. Instead, he thinks about the moments that showcased football as the ultimate team sport.
“Key blocks that I had, and things that helped other folks really always meant a lot to me because every touchdown that I caught, my left tackle had to block or a running back had to pick up a blitzer to make those things,” Fitzgerald said. “It took a lot of other people a lot of effort to make those things happen, and I think that’s what makes me love the game of football so much.”
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