Larry Fitzgerald

As a teenager, Fitzgerald worked as a ball boy for the Minnesota Vikings under coach Dennis Green. "You know just being around your childhood idols," Fitzgerald said in a 2015 interview. "Coach Green gave me an opportunity of a lifetime to be around Cris Carter, Warren Moon, Joey Browner, Randy Moss, and Robert Smith. I can go on and on. To see their work ethic and dedication to their craft, that was really an eye-opening experience for a 14-year-old, 15-year-old. It was like on-the-job training almost."^[10]

Fitzgerald attended and played high school football at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota.^[11][12] While there, he was a two-time First-team All-State wide receiver.^[13] Fitzgerald did not meet NCAA requirements to play football as a freshman, so he spent a year at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania.^[12]

Discover more about Early years related topics

Ball boy

Ball boy

Ball boys and ball girls, also known as ball kids, are individuals, usually human youths but sometimes dogs, who retrieve and supply balls for players or officials in sports such as association football, American football, bandy, cricket, tennis, baseball and basketball. Though non-essential, their activities help to speed up play by reducing the amount of inactive time.

Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion team, the team began play the following year. They are named after the Vikings of medieval Scandinavia, reflecting the prominent Scandinavian American culture of Minnesota. The team plays its home games at U.S. Bank Stadium in the Downtown East section of Minneapolis.

Dennis Green

Dennis Green

Dennis Earl Green was an American football coach. During his National Football League (NFL) career, Green coached the Minnesota Vikings for 10 seasons. He coached the Vikings to eight playoff appearances in nine years, despite having seven different starting quarterbacks in those postseasons. He was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor in 2018.

Cris Carter

Cris Carter

Graduel Christopher Darin Carter is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–1989), the Minnesota Vikings (1990–2001) and the Miami Dolphins (2002). He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time.

Joey Browner

Joey Browner

Joey Matthew Browner is an American former professional football player who played as a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings from 1983 to 1991 and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992. Browner played college football for the USC Trojans.

Randy Moss

Randy Moss

Randy Gene Moss is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers. Widely regarded as one of the greatest and most talented wide receivers of all time, he holds the NFL single-season touchdown reception record, as well as the NFL single-season touchdown reception record for a rookie. All-time, Moss ranks second in career touchdown receptions as well as fourth in career receiving yards. In addition to possessing extraordinary speed at his size and superior leaping ability, he was famously known for often securing spectacular contested catches in tight coverage by physically overpowering defenders. The term "mossed", referring to this ability, has since become a common term in football lexicon.

Robert Smith (running back)

Robert Smith (running back)

Robert Scott Smith is an American college football analyst for Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network. He played professionally as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, and played college football at the Ohio State University. Currently, Robert serves as the Founder/Chairman of Fan Huddle, an on-demand digital wellbeing platform offering content on wellness, mindfulness, and healthy living.

High school football

High school football

High school football is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partly due to risk of injury, particularly concussions. According to The Washington Post, between 2009 and 2019, participation in high school football declined by 9.1%. It is the basic level or step of tackle football.

Academy of Holy Angels

Academy of Holy Angels

Academy of Holy Angels (AHA) is a private, Catholic, coeducational high school in Richfield, Minnesota. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, the nationally recognized college-preparatory school educates more than 600 students each year, with students in grades nine through twelve coming from across the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Richfield, Minnesota

Richfield, Minnesota

Richfield is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota. An inner-ring suburb of Minneapolis, Richfield is bordered by Minneapolis to the north, Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport and Fort Snelling to the east, Bloomington to the south, and Edina to the west. The population was 36,994 at the 2020 census.

Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to intensive agriculture; deciduous forests in the southeast, now partially cleared, farmed, and settled; and the less populated North Woods, used for mining, forestry, and recreation. Roughly a third of the state is covered in forests, and it is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" for having over 14,000 bodies of fresh water covering at least ten acres. More than 60% of Minnesotans live in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, known as the "Twin Cities", the state's main political, economic, and cultural hub. With a population of about 3.7 million, the Twin Cities is the 16th largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Other minor metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas in the state include Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud.

Valley Forge Military Academy and College

Valley Forge Military Academy and College

Valley Forge Military Academy and College (VFMAC) is a private boarding school and military junior college in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It follows in the traditional military school format with army traditions. Though military in tradition and form, the high school portion of VFMAC, Valley Forge Military Academy, is a college-preparatory boarding institution specializing in student leadership. VFMAC's administration is composed almost entirely of current or retired military and the board of trustees is almost entirely alumni. Some graduates pursue careers in the armed services and VFMAC has graduated one Rhodes Scholarship recipient.

Fitzgerald attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he played for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team under head coach Walt Harris.^[14] He was widely considered one of the best wide receivers in college football from 2002 to 2003.

2002 season

In his freshman season, Fitzgerald was an instant contributor. In the second game of the season against #20 Texas A&M, he had ten receptions for 103 yards in the 14–12 loss.^[15] Three weeks later, against Toledo, he had six receptions for 121 yards and his first two collegiate touchdowns in the 37–19 victory.^[16] On November 2, Fitzgerald had another stellar outing against #3 Virginia Tech with five receptions for 105 yards and three touchdowns in the 28–21 victory.^[17] In the last regular season game on November 30, he had 11 receptions for 159 yards and two touchdowns against #24 West Virginia in the 24–17 loss.^[18] Pitt finished with an 8–4 record and qualified for a bowl game.^[19] In the 2002 Insight Bowl, Fitzgerald had five receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown in the 38–13 victory over Oregon State.^[20] Overall, in the 2002 season, Fitzgerald had a Big-East conference leading 69 receptions for 1,005 yards and twelve touchdowns.^[21][22]

2003 season

Fitzgerald had a stellar sophomore season in 2003. He began the campaign against Kent State with six receptions for 123 yards and three touchdowns in the 43–3 victory.^[23] In the next game against Ball State, he had seven receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the 42–21 victory.^[24] Fitzgerald once again put out a great effort in the following game against Toledo with 12 receptions for 201 yards and a touchdown in the 35–31 loss.^[25] In the next game against Texas A&M, Fitzgerald had his fourth consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards with seven receptions for 135 yards and three touchdowns in the 37–26 victory.^[26] Two weeks later, against Notre Dame, he was held under 100 yards for the first time but still had five receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns in the 20–14 loss.^[27] Fitzgerald bounced back in the next game against Rutgers with eight receptions for a season-high 207 yards and two touchdowns in the 42–32 victory.^[28] Fitzgerald's hot streak continued in the next game against Syracuse, where he had eight receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns in the 34–14 victory.^[29] Fitzgerald's performance against the Orange was his fourth consecutive game with at least two touchdowns.

Fitzgerald started the month of November with seven receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown in a 24–13 victory over Boston College.^[30] In the following week against #5 Virginia Tech, he had eight receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown in the 31–28 upset victory.^[31] Fitzgerald added another great performance against West Virginia in the following week with nine receptions for 185 yards and two touchdowns in the 52–31 loss.^[32] In the following week against Temple, he had seven receptions for 102 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers won 30–16.^[33] Fitzgerald's performance against the Owls was his sixth consecutive game with at least 100 receiving yards. Fitzgerald's impressive streak ended the following week against #10 Miami with three receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown in the 28–14 loss.^[34] Despite having a season-low in yardage, Fitzgerald ended up recording 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. Pitt finished with an 8–4 record in the regular season and qualified for a bowl game.^[35] In the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl, Fitzgerald had five receptions for 77 yards against Virginia in the final game of his collegiate career, a 23–16 loss. He was held without a touchdown for the first time in 18 collegiate games.^[36]

Overall, Fitzgerald led the Big East conference with 92 receptions for 1,672 yards and an NCAA-leading 22 touchdowns in the 2003 season.^[37][38][39]

After his sophomore season, Fitzgerald was recognized as the best player in the NCAA with the 2003 Walter Camp Award and the Touchdown Club of Columbus's Chic Harley Award, and as the best wide receiver in college football with the 2003 Biletnikoff Award and the Touchdown Club's Paul Warfield Award. He was a unanimous 2003 All-America selection and a runner-up for the prestigious Heisman Trophy, given to the most outstanding player in college football; Oklahoma's Jason White won the award that year with 1,481 total points to Fitzgerald's 1,353.^[40]

In just 26 games in his collegiate career, Fitzgerald caught 161 passes for 2,677 yards^[41] and set a new Pitt record with 34 receiving touchdowns.^[42] He was the first player in school history with back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons,^[43] and his 14 games with at least 100 yards receiving broke Antonio Bryant's previous all-time Panthers record of 13.^[44] Fitzgerald's 18 straight games with at least one touchdown reception is an NCAA record.^[45]

Legacy

On July 1, 2013, Fitzgerald's #1 jersey was retired by the University of Pittsburgh. Fitzgerald was the ninth Pittsburgh player to receive this honor.^[46] In 2021, Fitzgerald was ranked second on ESPN's list of the 50 greatest wide receivers of the past 50 years.^[47]

College statistics

Discover more about College career related topics

2002 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

2002 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

The 2002 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season.

2002 Texas A&M Aggies football team

2002 Texas A&M Aggies football team

The 2002 Texas A&M Aggies football team completed the season with a 6–6 record. The Aggies had a regular season Big 12 record of 3–5. Head coach R. C. Slocum was fired at the end of the season and replaced by Dennis Franchione. Despite finishing the season bowl eligible, the Aggies did not participate in a bowl game.

2002 Toledo Rockets football team

2002 Toledo Rockets football team

The 2002 Toledo Rockets football team represented the University of Toledo during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. They competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in the West Division. The Rockets were led by head coach Tom Amstutz.

2002 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

2002 Virginia Tech Hokies football team

The 2002 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented the Virginia Tech in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team's head coach was Frank Beamer.

2002 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

2002 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

The 2002 West Virginia Mountaineers football team completed the regular season with a 9–3 record and traveled to the Continental Tire Bowl, where they lost to the Virginia Cavaliers 48–22. They finished with a record of 9-4 and a ranking of 25/20.

2002 Insight Bowl

2002 Insight Bowl

The 2002 Insight Bowl was the 14th edition to the Insight Bowl, formerly known as the Copper Bowl and the Insight.com Bowl. It featured the Panthers of the University of Pittsburgh and the Beavers of Oregon State University.

2002 Oregon State Beavers football team

2002 Oregon State Beavers football team

The 2002 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Dennis Erickson, the Beavers compiled a 8–4 regular season record, but lost the Insight Bowl to the Pittsburgh Panthers in Phoenix on December 26.

2003 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

2003 Pittsburgh Panthers football team

The 2003 Pittsburgh Panthers football team represented the University of Pittsburgh in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season.

2003 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

2003 Kent State Golden Flashes football team

The 2003 Kent State Golden Flashes football team represented the Kent State University during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. Kent State competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC), and played their home games at Dix Stadium. The Golden Flashes were led by fifth-year head coach Dean Pees, who resigned following the conclusion of the season.

2003 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

2003 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team

The 2003 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tyrone Willingham and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. The Irish finished the season at 5–7 and failed to become bowl eligible. The season was punctuated by a pair of three-game losing streaks and ugly blowout losses against Michigan, USC and Florida State.

2003 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

2003 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

The 2003 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represented Rutgers University in the 2003 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Scarlet Knights were led by third-year head coach Greg Schiano and played their home games at Rutgers Stadium. They are a member of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 5–7, 2–5 in Big East play to finish in a tie with Syracuse for 6th place.

2003 Boston College Eagles football team

2003 Boston College Eagles football team

The 2003 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. Boston College was a member of the Big East Conference. The Eagles played their home games at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, which has been their home stadium since 1957.

Although Fitzgerald had played at Pitt for only two years without redshirting, he petitioned the NFL to allow him to enter the 2004 NFL Draft, as he had left his high school, Academy of Holy Angels, during his senior year to attend Valley Forge Military Academy.^[49] 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. Although former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett was suing the NFL at the time to overturn the rule (a case Clarett initially won, but it was later overturned on appeal), the NFL considered Fitzgerald's case separate from Clarett's.^[50]

After his tremendous sophomore year, Fitzgerald was drafted 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.^[51] He was the first wide receiver to be selected in the 2004 NFL Draft. In addition, he was the first of six Pitt Panthers to be selected that year.^[52]

2004 season: Rookie year

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.^[53] 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.^[54] On December 19, against the St. Louis Rams, Fitzgerald became the youngest player at 21 years and 110 days, to record at least two touchdown receptions in a single game.^[55] His record has since been broken by Aaron Hernandez of the New England Patriots in 2010 and Mike Evans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014.^[56] He followed up his historic performance in the next game in Week 16 against the Seattle Seahawks, in which he had four receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the 24–21 loss.^[57]

Fitzgerald finished his rookie year with 59 receptions for 780 yards and eight touchdowns as the Cardinals missed the playoffs with a 6–10 record.^[58][59]

2005 season

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.^[60] Fitzgerald's season was strong throughout, finding the endzone in ten separate games and totaling seven games with over 100 receiving yards. Fitzgerald and the Cardinals missed the playoffs with a 6–10 record.^[61][62]

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.^[63][64] Fitzgerald teamed with Anquan Boldin to create one of the most productive wide receiver tandems in the NFL. In 2005, Fitzgerald and Boldin became only the second tandem from the same team, the first tandem being Herman Moore and Brett Perriman of the Detroit Lions in 1995, to each catch over 100 passes and top the 1,400-yard mark.^{[65][66][67][68]}

2006 season

Fitzgerald started his third NFL season with nine receptions for 133 yards in a 34–27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.^[69] He had his first touchdown of the season in Week 3 16–14 loss to the St. Louis Rams.^[70] He sustained a hamstring injury and missed three games.^[71] He returned against the Dallas Cowboys on November 12 in a 27–10 defeat.^[72] Two weeks later, he had 11 receptions for a career-high 172 yards against the Minnesota Vikings in a 31–26 loss.^[73] He closed out the 2006 season with four receiving touchdowns in the last five games.^{[74][75][76][77]}

Overall, Fitzgerald finished the 2006 season with 69 receptions for 946 yards and six touchdowns as the Cardinals finished the year with a 5–11 record.^[78]

2007 season

In the Cardinals' fourth game, Fitzgerald had ten receptions for 120 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 21–14 victory.^[79] In the next game, he had his first touchdown of the season against the St. Louis Rams in a nine-catch, 136-yard performance in the 34–31 victory.^[80] On November 11, he had eight receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions in a 31–21 victory.^[81] Two weeks later, he had nine receptions for 156 yards and two touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers in the 37–31 loss.^[82] In the regular season finale against the Rams, he had 11 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns in a 48–19 victory.^[83] Fitzgerald and the Cardinals finished with an 8–8 record.^[84]

As part of his Pro Bowl season, Fitzgerald caught 100 passes for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns.^[85][86] Following the 2007 season, he signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension with Arizona. While still under contract at the time, performance bonuses forced the team's hand into a massive extension.^[87] Fitzgerald's numbers earned him the nickname "Sticky Fingers" and "The Best Hands in the NFL" in local media.^[88]

2008 season: Super Bowl XLIII

Fitzgerald catches a touchdown at the 2009 Pro Bowl

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. In addition, he had three games where the caught two touchdown passes.^[89]

Fitzgerald finished the regular season with 96 receptions for 1,431 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns. For the first time in his career, the Cardinals finished with a winning record at 9–7 and made the playoffs.^[90][91]

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.^[92] In the Divisional Round against the Carolina Panthers, he had eight receptions for 166 yards in the 33–13 victory.^[93] 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.^[94] As a result of the 32–25 victory over the Eagles, Fitzgerald and the Cardinals represented the NFC in Super Bowl XLIII.^[95][96] During Super Bowl XLIII, Fitzgerald caught two touchdown passes in the game. Late in the fourth quarter, Fitzgerald had a 64-yard touchdown reception from Kurt Warner to go ahead 23–20, but the score did not hold as the Pittsburgh Steelers scored a touchdown with only 35 seconds remaining to go ahead 27–23, which was the game's final score.^[97][98][99] Fitzgerald set a single postseason record with 546 receiving yards,^[100] 30 receptions,^[101] and seven touchdown receptions,^[102] surpassing Jerry Rice's records of the 1988–89 NFL playoffs.^[103][104]

Fitzgerald followed up his great 2008 season by catching two more touchdown passes in the 2009 Pro Bowl, earning him MVP honors.^[105][106] 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. It is speculated that Fitzgerald has had this injury since November 5, 2008, when he showed up on the injury report with an injured thumb.^[107] After his record-breaking postseason, capped by his Pro Bowl MVP award, many analysts, including NFL Network's Jamie Dukes, regarded Fitzgerald as one of the best receivers in the NFL.^[108][109] He was named as a First-team All Pro for the 2008 season.^[110]

2009 season

In the fourth game of the season, Fitzgerald had five receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns in a 28–21 victory over the Houston Texans.^[111] The following week, he had 13 receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown in a 27–3 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.^[112] On November 8 against the Chicago Bears, he had nine receptions for 123 yards and two touchdowns in a 41–21 victory.^[113] On December 6, he had eight receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown in a 30–17 victory the Minnesota Vikings.^[114] He finished out the 2009 regular season with a receiving touchdown in the last three games.^{[115][116][117]} Overall, he had 97 receptions for 1,092 yards and a league-leading 13 touchdowns as the Cardinals went 10–6 and returned to the playoffs.^[118][119]

In the Wild Card Round, he had six receptions for 82 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions, both of which came in the third quarter, against the Green Bay Packers in a 51–45 win.^[120] However, the Cardinals were eliminated the next week by the eventual Super Bowl XLIV champion New Orleans Saints by a score of 45–14 in the Divisional Round.^[121] He was named to his third consecutive and fourth career Pro Bowl for his efforts in 2009.^[122]

2010 season

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.^[123] 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.^[124] On the season, he totaled three games with over 100 receiving yards. Fitzgerald and the Cardinals failed to return to the playoffs with a 5–11 record.^[125]

Overall, in the 2010 season, Fitzgerald recorded 90 receptions, which ranked fifth in the NFL, for 1,137 yards and six touchdowns.^[126] After the season, he was named to his fifth Pro Bowl, and his fourth in a row.^[127] He finished ranked as the 14th best player in the league among his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.^[128]

2011 season

On August 20, 2011, Fitzgerald signed an 8-year, $120 million contract with the Cardinals, tying him with Richard Seymour as the fifth highest paid player in the NFL at the time.^[129]

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. On November 13, in Week 10, he had seven receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns in a 21–17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.^[130] His efforts against the Eagles garnered him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.^[131] A few weeks later, he had seven receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers in a 21–19 victory in Week 14.^[132] The Cardinals finished with an 8–8 record and missed the playoffs.^[133]

Overall, Fitzgerald had another stellar season, catching 80 passes for 1,411 yards and eight touchdowns and setting a personal record of 17.6 yards per catch.^[134] Fitzgerald's accomplishments were recognized by an All-Pro second-team selection as well as his sixth Pro Bowl selection.^[135] He finished ranked as the seventh best player in the league among his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012 list.^[136]

2012 season

In the 2012 season, Fitzgerald had two games going over the 100-yard mark. One of which was In Week 3, when he had nine receptions for 114 yards to go with one touchdown and earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors against the Philadelphia Eagles.^[137][138]

Overall, on the season, Fitzgerald had 71 receptions for 798 yards and four touchdowns as the Cardinals went 5–11 and missed the playoffs.^[139][140] He was named to his sixth consecutive and seventh career Pro Bowl.^[141] He finished ranked 22nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013 list.^[142]

Following the 2012 football season, Fitzgerald was named as the Cardinals' Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and was one of three finalists for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.^[143]

2013 season

In the offseason, Fitzgerald turned 30.^[144] He started the 2013 season with eight receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns against the St. Louis Rams.^[145] In the sixth game of the season, he recorded his first performance of the season topping 100 yards against the San Francisco 49ers. In the game, he had six receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown.^[146] On November 24, against the Indianapolis Colts, he had five receptions for 52 yards and two touchdowns.^[147] Two weeks later, Fitzgerald caught all 12 of his targets for 96 yards and a touchdown in a 30–10 victory over the Rams.^[148] In the regular season finale against the 49ers, he had six receptions for 113 yards.^[149]

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. However, they still missed out on the playoffs.^[150] For his 2013 season, he was named to his seventh consecutive and eighth overall Pro Bowl.^[151] He finished ranked 38th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014 list.^[152]

2014 season

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.^[153][154] He started his 11th professional season against the San Diego Chargers. In the game, he only had one reception for 22 yards.^[155] He did not have his first touchdown of the season until the fifth game of the season against the Washington Redskins.^[156] 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.^[157][158] Two weeks later, he had nine receptions for 112 yards against the St. Louis Rams.^[159]

Overall, on the 2014 season, Fitzgerald had 63 receptions for 784 yards and two touchdowns as the Cardinals went 11–5 and returned to the playoffs.^[160][161]

In the Wild Card Round against the Carolina Panthers, Fitzgerald had three receptions for 31 yards in the 27–16 defeat.^[162][163] He was ranked 68th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015 list.^[164]

2015 season

Fitzgerald during the 2015 season

On February 18, 2015, Fitzgerald was signed to a new multi-year contract worth at least $11 million guaranteed over the next two seasons.^[165]

In Week 2, in the 48–23 victory over Chicago Bears, Fitzgerald had 112 receiving yards and caught three touchdown passes, the first time he accomplished the feat during the regular season in his career.^[166] For his performance, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the fourth time in his career.^[167] In the next game, he had nine receptions for 134 yards and two touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers.^[168] On November 15, he had ten receptions for 130 yards against the Seattle Seahawks.^[169] In Week 13, he became the youngest player to reach 1,000 career receptions; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten joined him the same day as the 11th and 12th players to reach this milestone.^[170] He closed out the 2015 regular season with a receiving touchdown in the last two games against the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.^[171][172] The Cardinals finished with a 13–3 record and won the NFC West.^[173]

For the 2015 season, Fitzgerald had 109 catches, which was tied for fifth in the NFL,^[174] for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns.^[175] For his accomplishments during the 2015 season, Fitzgerald was selected to the Pro Bowl for the ninth time. He was ranked 27th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.^[176][177]

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 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.^[178][179] He was held to four receptions for 30 yards in the NFC Championship against the Carolina Panthers. The Cardinals' season ended with a 49–15 loss.^[180][181]

2016 season

On August 5, 2016, Fitzgerald signed a one-year, $11 million contract extension with the Cardinals.^[182]

On September 11, 2016, Fitzgerald had eight receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns, while becoming the 10th player to reach 100 career touchdowns, in the season-opening 23–21 loss to the New England Patriots on NBC Sunday Night Football.^{[183][184][185]} In the fifth game of the season, he had six receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns in the 33–21 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.^[186] On November 13, he had 12 receptions for 132 yards in another strong outing against the 49ers in a 23–20 victory.^[187] The Cardinals finished with a 7–8–1 record and missed the playoffs.^[188][189]

At the end of the 2016 season, Fitzgerald led the NFL in receptions for the second time with 107, and had 1,023 receiving yards with six receiving touchdowns.^[190] He moved from 11th to 3rd on the all-time career reception list,^[191] and ended the season ninth all-time in receiving yards.^[192] He was named to his tenth career Pro Bowl.^[193] He was ranked 45th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.^[194]

2017 season

Fitzgerald in 2017

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.^[195] 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.^[196] 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.^[197][198] 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.^[199] 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,^[196] joining Antonio Brown as the only players with three games of 10+ receptions in 2017,^[200] 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.^[201] 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.^[196] 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.^[202] He tied his career-best with 109 receptions, finishing second to Jarvis Landry,^[203] and finished eighth in the NFL with 1,156 receiving yards. On December 19, 2017, Fitzgerald was named to his 11th Pro Bowl.^[204][205] However, it was later announced that Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks would replace Fitzgerald.^[206] The Cardinals finished with an 8–8 record and missed the playoffs.^[207] He was ranked 27th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.^[208]

2018 season

In Week 1, Fitzgerald recorded seven receptions for 76 yards in a 24–6 loss to the Washington Redskins.^[209] Nursing a sore hamstring, he failed to reach 50 yards in any of his next six games, and did not record a touchdown reception until a Week 7 45–10 loss to the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football.^{[210][211][212]} In Week 8, he had eight receptions for 102 yards with a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the 18–15 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.^[196] In Week 10, in a 26–14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs after recording six receptions for 50 yards, Fitzgerald reached 15,952 career receiving yards, passing Terrell Owens for second on the all-time list behind only Jerry Rice.^[213] In Week 11 against the Oakland Raiders, Fitzgerald made two catches for 23 yards which were both touchdowns in the 23–21 loss.^[214]

In Week 14, against the Detroit Lions, Fitzgerald set an NFL record for most receptions with one team with 1,282.^[215][216] The gloves he used in that game and the ball he caught were sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.^[217] 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. In addition, Fitzgerald had six receptions for 53 yards.^[218] He finished the 3–13 season as the Cardinals leading receiver with 69 receptions for a career-low 734 yards with six receiving touchdowns.^[219] Fitzgerald was ranked 60th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.^[220]

2019 season

On January 23, 2019, Fitzgerald announced he would return for the 2019 season, and signed a one-year contract extension with the Cardinals.^[221] In Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, Fitzgerald caught eight passes for 113 yards and one touchdown from rookie quarterback Kyler Murray in the 27–27 tie.^[222] In Week 2, a 23–17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, he had five receptions for 104 receiving yards for his first back-to-back games with over 100 receiving yards since Weeks 2–3 of the 2015 season.^[223] In a Week 4 27–10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, he passed Tony Gonzalez for second-most career receptions in NFL history.^[224] In the 12 games from Weeks 3 to 17, Fitzgerald averaged just 41.9 yards on 4.4 receptions for a total of three touchdowns, as Christian Kirk emerged in his second year.^[225][226]

2020 season

On January 15, 2020, Fitzgerald re-signed with the Cardinals on a one-year deal worth $11 million.^[227] On November 26, 2020, Fitzgerald was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus,^[228] and was activated on December 8.^[229] 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.^[230]

Retirement

On February 16, 2022, despite not officially stating that he was retiring, Fitzgerald admitted he was not planning on returning to play in the NFL.^[231] Throughout Fitzgerald's NFL career, he caught touchdown passes from 16 different quarterbacks.^[232]

It was announced that on September 7, 2022, that he was joining ESPN's Monday Night Countdown, signalling he has officially retired.^[233]

Discover more about Professional career related topics

40-yard dash

40-yard dash

The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering 40 yards (36.576 m). It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a heavy impact on his prospects in college or professional football. This was traditionally only true for the "skill" positions such as running back, wide receiver, and defensive back, although now a fast 40-yard dash time is considered important for almost every position. The 40-yard dash is not an official race in track and field athletics, and is not an IAAF-recognized race.

2004 NFL Draft

2004 NFL Draft

The 2004 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 2004 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. No teams chose to claim any players in the supplemental draft that year.

Maurice Clarett

Maurice Clarett

Maurice Edward Clarett is a former American football running back who played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team. He also played professionally for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. During his freshman year at Ohio State University in 2002, he helped lead the Buckeyes to a national championship. In a widely unexpected move, Clarett was drafted on the first day of the 2005 NFL Draft with the final pick of the 3rd round by the Denver Broncos.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play their home games at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, a suburb northwest of Phoenix.

Dennis Green

Dennis Green

Dennis Earl Green was an American football coach. During his National Football League (NFL) career, Green coached the Minnesota Vikings for 10 seasons. He coached the Vikings to eight playoff appearances in nine years, despite having seven different starting quarterbacks in those postseasons. He was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor in 2018.

2004 Arizona Cardinals season

2004 Arizona Cardinals season

The 2004 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 85th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 106th overall and their 17th in Arizona. The team finished with a 6–10 record, an improvement on their 4–12 record from the previous season, and finished in third place in the NFC West, failing to make the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Season lows for the Cardinals included losing two games to the San Francisco 49ers, the only two games the 49ers won in 2004. The Cardinals, during Week 9, also defeated the Miami Dolphins for the first time in franchise history.

2004 St. Louis Rams season

2004 St. Louis Rams season

The 2004 season was the St. Louis Rams' 67th in the National Football League and their tenth in St. Louis.

Josh McCown

Josh McCown

Joshua Treadwell McCown is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for SMU for three seasons before transferring to Sam Houston State. McCown was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft and played for them for four seasons. He spent most of his career as a journeyman quarterback playing for twelve different teams including; the Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, and Houston Texans, along with a stint with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League (UFL). He retired after the 2018 season and joined ESPN as an analyst, but returned to the NFL during the preseason and joined the Eagles. He is an older brother of former NFL quarterback Luke McCown and a younger brother of former Texas A&M quarterback Randy McCown.

2004 San Francisco 49ers season

2004 San Francisco 49ers season

The 2004 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 55th in the National Football League, the 59th overall and their second and final under head coach Dennis Erickson, as he was fired after the season.

Aaron Hernandez

Aaron Hernandez

Aaron Josef Hernandez was an American football tight end. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons with the New England Patriots until his career came to an abrupt end after his arrest and conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd.

Mike Evans (wide receiver)

Mike Evans (wide receiver)

Michael Lynn Evans III is an American football wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). Evans played college football at Texas A&M, where he earned consensus first-team All-American honors after recording a school record of 1,394 receiving yards on 69 receptions, and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the first round with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times and was a Second-team All-Pro in 2016. Evans holds nearly every major Buccaneers franchise receiving record including, career receptions, yards and touchdowns. Evans is the only player in NFL history to start his career with nine consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. He won his first Super Bowl championship on February 7, 2021, in a victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.

2004 Seattle Seahawks season

2004 Seattle Seahawks season

The 2004 Seattle Seahawks season was the franchise's 29th season in the National Football League (NFL), the third season in Qwest Field and the 6th under head coach Mike Holmgren. Finishing the season at 9–7, the Seahawks were unable to replicate the year they had prior.

Regular season

Playoffs

Discover more about NFL career statistics related topics

2004 NFL season

2004 NFL season

The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League (NFL).

2004 Arizona Cardinals season

2004 Arizona Cardinals season

The 2004 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 85th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 106th overall and their 17th in Arizona. The team finished with a 6–10 record, an improvement on their 4–12 record from the previous season, and finished in third place in the NFC West, failing to make the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Season lows for the Cardinals included losing two games to the San Francisco 49ers, the only two games the 49ers won in 2004. The Cardinals, during Week 9, also defeated the Miami Dolphins for the first time in franchise history.

2005 NFL season

2005 NFL season

The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League (NFL).

2005 Arizona Cardinals season

2005 Arizona Cardinals season

The 2005 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 86th in the National Football League (NFL), their 107th overall and their 18th in Arizona. The team was unable to improve upon their 6–10 record from the previous season, and failed to make the playoffs for the seventh year in a row.

2006 NFL season

2006 NFL season

The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League (NFL). Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006.

2006 Arizona Cardinals season

2006 Arizona Cardinals season

The 2006 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 87th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 19th in Arizona. The season began with the team trying to improve on their 5–11 record in 2005. They also moved into the Cardinals Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the first-ever stadium in the United States with a retractable playing surface. The stadium was christened University of Phoenix Stadium on September 26, and managed to sell out every home game. Despite a somewhat promising start, the team suffered a few setbacks, including key losses to the Dallas Cowboys and most memorably the eventual NFC Champion Chicago Bears, and ended the season (again) at a disappointing 5–11 record. Head coach Dennis Green was fired after the season, replaced by Ken Whisenhunt.

2007 NFL season

2007 NFL season

The 2007 NFL season was the 88th regular season of the National Football League (NFL).

2007 Arizona Cardinals season

2007 Arizona Cardinals season

The 2007 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 88th in the National Football League, their 20th in Arizona and their first under head coach Ken Whisenhunt. They improved upon their 5–11 record in 2006 after finishing last place in the NFC West, by finishing 8–8, but the failure of the Cardinals to qualify for the Super Bowl marked the 23rd consecutive year in which the Super Bowl did not include the team in whose region the game was being played in; Super Bowl XIV and Super Bowl XIX were the only postseasons with such an occurrence before 2007.

2008 NFL season

2008 NFL season

The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League (NFL), themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."

2008 Arizona Cardinals season

2008 Arizona Cardinals season

The 2008 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 89th in the National Football League (NFL), their 21st season in Arizona, and their second under head coach Ken Whisenhunt. The season marked the Cardinals' first Super Bowl appearance, coming as a result of their victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship. The Cardinals slogan for the season was "Shock The World!" Riding the back of quarterback Kurt Warner, who had gone from being a backup for the St. Louis Rams in 1999 to leading the Greatest Show on Turf to a Super Bowl XXXIV victory, and franchise wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals went on a playoff run for the ages after having won just one playoff game in the last sixty years, as Warner once again recreated the magic he had captured with the Rams.

2009 NFL season

2009 NFL season

The 2009 NFL season was the 90th season in the history of the National Football League (NFL). The 50th anniversary of the original eight charter members of the American Football League was celebrated during this season.

2009 Arizona Cardinals season

2009 Arizona Cardinals season

The 2009 season was the Arizona Cardinals' 90th in the National Football League, their 22nd in Arizona and their third under head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

NFL

• Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2016)
• First-team All-Pro (2008)
• 2× Second-team All-Pro (2009, 2011)
• 11× Pro Bowl (2005, 2007–2013, 2015–2017)
• 2× NFL receptions leader (2005, 2016)
• 2× NFL receiving touchdowns leader (2008, 2009)
• NFL 2010s All-Decade Team
• NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team
• Art Rooney Award (2014)

College

• Biletnikoff Award (2003)
• Walter Camp Award (2003)
• Big East Offensive Player of the Year (2003)
• Unanimous All-American (2003)
• First-team All-Big East (2003)
• Insight Bowl champion (2002)
• Pittsburgh Panthers No. 1 retired

Discover more about Awards and honors related topics

All-Pro

All-Pro

All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list that consists of at least 22 players, one for each offensive and defensive position, plus various special teams players depending on the press organization that compiles the list. All-Pro lists are exclusively limited to the major leagues, usually only the National Football League; in the past, other leagues recognized as major, such as the American Football League of the 1960s or the All-America Football Conference of the 1940s, have been included in All-Pro lists.

2008 All-Pro Team

2008 All-Pro Team

The 2008 All-Pro Team is composed of the National Football League (NFL) players that were named to the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), and Sporting News All-Pro Teams in 2008. These are the current teams that historically appear in Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the NFL. Although the NFL has no official awards, according to the NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, the NFL Record and Fact Book has historically listed All-Pro teams from major news sources such as the Associated Press, Sporting News, Pro Football Writers Association, as well as teams from organizations that no longer release All-Pro teams such as Newspaper Enterprise Association and United Press International.

2009 All-Pro Team

2009 All-Pro Team

The 2009 All-Pro Team consists of National Football League (NFL) players named to the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), and Sporting News All-Pro teams in the 2009 NFL season. The Associated Press and Sporting News named first and second-team selections. The AP team was selected by a national panel of 50 NFL writers. The Sporting News selection process consisted of a players' poll, making it "The Players' All-Pro Team". The PFWA All-NFL team is based on a poll of its more than 300 members.

2011 All-Pro Team

2011 All-Pro Team

There are three 2011 All-Pro Teams—one each named by the Associated Press (AP), Pro Football Writers Association (PFWA), and Sporting News—for performance in the 2011 NFL season. While none of these have the official imprimatur of the NFL, they are included (separately) in the NFL Record and Fact Book. Any player selected to any of the teams can be described as an "All-Pro."

2006 Pro Bowl

2006 Pro Bowl

The 2006 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2005 season. The game was played on February 12, 2006, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. It marked the 27th consecutive time that the National Football League's all-star game was held in Honolulu. The NFC all-stars won by the score of 23 to 17.

2008 Pro Bowl

2008 Pro Bowl

The 2008 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2007 season. It was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on February 10, 2008. The game was televised in the United States by Fox and began shortly after 11:40am local time following Pole Qualifying for 2008 Daytona 500. The NFC won, 42–30, despite a 17-point first half AFC lead. NFC running back Adrian Peterson rushed 16 times for 129 yards and was named the game's MVP, winning a Cadillac CTS in recognition of his efforts.

2014 Pro Bowl

2014 Pro Bowl

The 2014 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2013 season. It took place at 2:30 pm local time on January 26 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was televised nationally by NBC and was the final Pro Bowl on network television before ABC’s airing in 2018 as part of a simulcast with sister network ESPN, whose parent company Disney currently holds domestic television rights to the game.

2016 Pro Bowl

2016 Pro Bowl

The 2016 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2015 season, which was played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 31, 2016. As of 2023, this was the last time the Pro Bowl was held in Hawaii.

2018 Pro Bowl

2018 Pro Bowl

The 2018 Pro Bowl was the National Football League's all-star game for the 2017 season, which was played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on January 28, 2018. For the first time since 2009, the game started during afternoon hours instead of primetime hours for U.S. Mainland viewers with a 3 p.m. ET start. It marked the second year the game was played in Orlando. It was televised nationally by ESPN and simulcasted on ABC. The roster was announced on December 19 on NFL Network. The AFC team won the game 24–23, the second straight year the Pro Bowl was won by the AFC.

National Football League 2010s All-Decade Team

National Football League 2010s All-Decade Team

The National Football League 2010s All-Decade Team is composed of outstanding performers in the National Football League in the ten years spanning 2010–2019. Only a player or coach's performance during the decade was used as criteria for voting.

Art Rooney Award

Art Rooney Award

The Art Rooney Award is given annually by the National Football League (NFL) in recognition of outstanding sportsmanship on the playing field. Established in 2015, the award is named in honor of Art Rooney, the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Big East Conference football individual awards

Big East Conference football individual awards

The Big East Conference gave five football awards at the conclusion of every season. The awards were first given in 1991 following the conference's first football season, and last given in 2012 before the conference was restructured as the American Athletic Conference. The five awards included Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Special Teams Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Recipients were selected by the votes of the conference's eight head coaches.

NFL records

• Seasons with 90+ receptions: 8^[234]
• Third all-time, seasons with 100+ receptions (5; tied with four others)^[235]
• Most touchdown receptions in a postseason: 7 (2008)^[236]
• Most receptions in a postseason: 30 (2008)^[237]
• Most postseason games with 150+ receiving yards: 3^[238]
• Second all-time career receptions (1,432)^[239]
• Second all-time career receiving yards (17,492)^[240]
• Sixth all-time career receiving touchdowns (120)^[185]
• Second all-time consecutive games with a reception (236)^[241]
• Fewest games needed to score 10 postseason receiving touchdowns (8 games over 7 years)^[242]
• Third all-time career postseason receiving touchdowns (10; tied with 4 others)^[243]
• Second youngest player to reach 6,000 career receiving yards (26 years and 13 days)
• Youngest player to reach 7,000 career receiving yards (26 years, 111 days)^[244]
• Second youngest player to reach 8,000 career receiving yards (27 years, 110 days)^[245]
• Second youngest player to reach 9,000 career receiving yards (28 years, 81 days)
• Second youngest player to reach 10,000 career receiving yards (29 years, 34 days)^[246]
• Youngest player to reach 11,000 career receiving yards (30 years, 85 days)^[247]
• Second youngest player to record 700 receptions (29 years, 23 days)^[248][249]
• Youngest player to record 800 receptions (30 years, 57 days)^[250]
• Youngest player to record 900 receptions (31 years, 102 days)^[251]
• Youngest player to record 1,000 receptions (32 years, 97 days)^[252]
• Third youngest player to reach 70 career receiving touchdowns (28 years, 74 days)^[253]
• First wide receiver in NFL history to record at least 150 career receptions against three different franchises (Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers)^[254]
• Oldest player to record 100 reception, 1,000+ yard, 5+ TD season, with three consecutive seasons (2015–2017)

Cardinals franchise records

As of 2019^[update]'s NFL off-season, Larry Fitzgerald held at least 40 Cardinals franchise records, including:

• Most receptions (career): 1,378^[255]
• Most receptions (season): 109 (2015 and 2017)^[256]
• Most receptions (playoff career): 57^[257]
• Most receptions (playoff season): 30 (2008)^[258]
• Most receptions (playoff game): 9 (January 18, 2009, against the Philadelphia Eagles; tied with Roy Green and David Johnson)^[259]
• Most receiving yards (career): 17,492^[255]
• Most receiving yards (playoff career): 942^[260]
• Most receiving yards (playoff season): 546 (2008)^[261]
• Most receiving yards (playoff game): 176 (January 16, 2016, against the Green Bay Packers)^[262]
• Most yards per reception (playoff career): 16.53^[263]
• Most yards per reception (playoff season): 18.2 (2008)^[264]
• Most yards per reception (playoff game) (minimum five receptions): 22 (January 16, 2016, against the Green Bay Packers)^[265]
• Most receiving TDs (career): 120^[255]
• Most receiving TDs (playoff career): 10^[266]
• Most receiving TDs (playoff season): 7 (2008)^[267]
• Most receiving TDs (playoff game): 3 (January 18, 2009, against the Philadelphia Eagles)^[268]
• Most receiving TDs (rookie season): 8 (2004; tied with Anquan Boldin)^[269]
• Most receiving yards per game (playoff career): 104.7
• Most receiving yards per game (playoff season): 136.5 (2008)
• Most total TDs (career): 120^[270]
• Most total TDs (playoff career): 10^[271]
• Most total TDs (playoff season): 7 (2008)^[272]
• Most total TDs (playoff game): 3 (tied with Mario Bates) (January 18, 2009, against the Philadelphia Eagles)^[273]
• Most yards from scrimmage (career): 17,151^[274]
• Most yards from scrimmage (playoff career): 942^[275]
• Most yards from scrimmage (playoff season): 546 (2008)^[276]
• Most yards from scrimmage (playoff game): 176 (January 16, 2016, against the Green Bay Packers)^[277]
• Most all-purpose yards (career): 17,151^[278]
• Most all-purpose yards (playoff career): 942^[279]
• Most all-purpose yards (playoff season): 546 (2008) ^[280]
• Most 100+-yard receiving games (career): 49^[281]
• Most 100+-yard receiving games (playoffs): 5^[282]
• Most 100+-yard receiving games (season): 11 (2008)^[283]
• Most 100+-yard receiving games (playoffs): 5^[284]
• Most games with 1+ TD scored (career): 106^[285]
• Most games with 1+ TD scored (season): 13 (2008)
• Most games with 1+ TD scored (playoffs): 6^[286]
• Most games with 2+ TD scored (career): 22^[287]
• Most games with 2+ TD scored (playoffs): 3^[288]
• Most games with 3+ TD scored (playoffs): 1 (tied with Mario Bates)^[289]
• Most seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards (career): 9
• Most seasons with 1,000+ combined yards: 9^[290]
• Most seasons with 10+ receiving touchdowns: 5^[290]
• Most consecutive seasons scoring a touchdown: 17 (2004–2020)^[291]
• Consecutive games with a catch: 256^[292]

Discover more about Records related topics

Roy Green

Roy Green

Roy Calvin Green is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals (1979-1990) and Philadelphia Eagles (1991–1992).

David Johnson (running back)

David Johnson (running back)

David Jerome Johnson Sr. is an American football running back who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northern Iowa.

Anquan Boldin

Anquan Boldin

Anquan Kenmile Boldin Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions.

Mario Bates

Mario Bates

Mario Doniel Bates is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New Orleans Saints, Arizona Cardinals, and the Detroit Lions. His brother, Michael, also played in the NFL.

Fitzgerald at the Child Development Center on Incirlik Air Base, Turkey, in 2006

Fitzgerald's father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., is a sportswriter for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder. When he covered Super Bowl XLIII, he was believed to be the first reporter to cover his own son in a Super Bowl.^[293] Fitzgerald's mother, Carol, died of a brain hemorrhage while being treated for breast cancer in 2003.^[294] During the 2008 season, Larry Fitzgerald was accused of domestic violence against Angela Nazario, who filed for an order of protection against him.^{[295][296][297]}

In 2016, Fitzgerald completed his undergraduate degree with the University of Phoenix, fulfilling a promise that he made to his mother to finish his education.^[298] Since graduation he has become a paid spokesperson for the University of Phoenix.^[299] Fitzgerald is an avid traveler and has visited nearly 100 countries.^[300] He has two sons.^[301]

Fitzgerald developed a friendship with Arizona politician John McCain, and spoke at the memorial service for the U.S. senator and Presidential candidate held in Phoenix on August 30, 2018.^[302][303]

On January 22, 2020, Fitzgerald bought a minority stake in the NBA's Phoenix Suns to become a partial team owner.^[304] 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. He has developed a long-standing friendship with franchise owner Robert Sarver since 2005,^[305] with him getting more active and involved with the Suns since 2018.^[306] His role with the franchise involves him being an advisor and resource for the Suns' business and basketball staff, as well as be a player advisor for both the Suns and Phoenix Mercury, their WNBA franchise.^[307]

Fitzgerald is an active venture investor, having invested in 40 to 50 companies as of October 2019. Fitzgerald turned his passion to see the world into a travel business that he operates, hosting trips in a number of areas around the world.^[308]

Fitzgerald is an avid chess player and is the board member of First Move Chess.^{[309][310][311]} He played Chess.com's BlitzChamps tournament, a rapid tournament for NFL players^[312] where he lost in the semifinals to the eventual champion Chidobe Awuzie.^[313]

Discover more about Personal life related topics

Incirlik Air Base

Incirlik Air Base

Incirlik Air Base is a Turkish air base of slightly more than 3320 ac, located in the İncirlik quarter of the city of Adana, Turkey. The base is within an urban area of 1.7 million people, 10 km (6 mi) east of the city core, and 32 km (20 mi) inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The United States Air Force and the Turkish Air Force are the primary users of the air base, although it is at times also used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force. The base is also the home of the 74th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment of the Spanish Army.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a red or scaly patch of skin. In those with distant spread of the disease, there may be bone pain, swollen lymph nodes, shortness of breath, or yellow skin.

University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix

University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a private for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree levels. It is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and has an open enrollment admissions policy for many undergraduate programs. The school is currently owned by Apollo Global Management and Vistria Group, two US private-equity firms, but is in the process of being sold.

John McCain

John McCain

John Sidney McCain III was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms in the United States House of Representatives and was the Republican nominee for president of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to Barack Obama.

National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in Northern America composed of 30 teams. It is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada and is considered the premier men's professional basketball league in the world.

Phoenix Suns

Phoenix Suns

The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in their division not to be based in California, and play their home games at the Footprint Center. The Suns are one of four major league sports teams based in the Phoenix area, but are the only one to bill themselves as representing the city.

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley to play for the California Golden Bears, where he set several career passing records, including lowest single-season and career interception rates. He was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers. Rodgers is regarded amongst the greatest quarterbacks of all time, as well as one of the most talented quarterbacks of all time.

Robert Sarver

Robert Sarver

Robert Gary Sarver is an American businessman, co-founder of Southwest Value Partners, a real estate development company, the current owner of the RCD Mallorca La Liga Spanish football team, and the former owner of the Phoenix Suns NBA team and Phoenix Mercury WNBA team.

Phoenix Mercury

Phoenix Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league's inaugural 1997 season began; it is one of the eight original franchises. The team is owned by Mat Ishbia, who also owns the NBA team Phoenix Suns.

Chess.com

Chess.com

Chess.com is an internet chess server, news website and social networking website. The site has a freemium model in which some features are available for free, and others are available for accounts with subscriptions. Live online chess can be played against other users in daily, rapid, blitz or bullet time controls, with a number of chess variants also available. Chess versus a chess engine, computer analysis, chess puzzles and teaching resources are also offered.

Chidobe Awuzie

Chidobe Awuzie

Chidobe Richard Awuzie is an American football cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He played college football at Colorado.

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.^[314] One initiative the “First Down Fund” holds each summer are youth football camps in Arizona and Minnesota.^[315] 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.^[316] 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. He partnered with Riddell to provide new helmets to 1,000 kids in the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation football program.^[317]

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. He has served as an NFL spokesman for the league-wide breast cancer awareness initiative “A Crucial Catch” for three years and every October makes donations to breast cancer organizations based on his touchdowns and receptions during the month.^[315]

In August 2012, he was honored with the 14th annual Pro Football Weekly Arthur S. Arkush Humanitarian Award for his community and charitable contributions.^[315] Fitzgerald has made five USO tours to visit soldiers overseas and has raised financial support for injured and critically ill members of the U.S. military.^[317]

During the 2013 season, Fitzgerald was honored with the NFL Players Association Georgetown Lombardi Award. The award was established to honor a leader in the sports industry whose life and family have been touched by cancer, and who encourages cancer research, prevention and treatment through awareness and philanthropy.^[318]

In 2014, Fitzgerald was selected as the 2014 Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Male Recipient, which was created in 1994 by the Rotary Club of Tulsa to recognize an influential male and female premiere athlete for their success in their sport and for being a positive role model who gives back to their communities.^[319]

In 2017, Fitzgerald received the Heritage Award from the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry due to his ongoing commitment to improving the lives of Arizonans.^[320]

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Arizona

Arizona

Arizona is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th-largest and the 14th-most-populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Four Corners region with Utah to the north, Colorado to the northeast, and New Mexico to the east; its other neighboring states are Nevada to the northwest, California to the west and the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California to the south and southwest.

Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota is a state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to intensive agriculture; deciduous forests in the southeast, now partially cleared, farmed, and settled; and the less populated North Woods, used for mining, forestry, and recreation. Roughly a third of the state is covered in forests, and it is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" for having over 14,000 bodies of fresh water covering at least ten acres. More than 60% of Minnesotans live in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, known as the "Twin Cities", the state's main political, economic, and cultural hub. With a population of about 3.7 million, the Twin Cities is the 16th largest metropolitan area in the U.S. Other minor metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas in the state include Duluth, Mankato, Moorhead, Rochester, and St. Cloud.

Lenovo

Lenovo

Lenovo Group Limited, often shortened to Lenovo, is a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, business solutions, and related services. Products manufactured by the company include desktop computers, laptops, tablet computers, smartphones, workstations, servers, supercomputers, electronic storage devices, IT management software, and smart televisions. Its best-known brands include its ThinkPad business line of laptop computers, the IdeaPad, Yoga, and Legion consumer lines of laptop computers, and the IdeaCentre and ThinkCentre lines of desktop computers. As of 2021, Lenovo is the world's largest personal computer vendor by unit sales.

Minneapolis

Minneapolis

Minneapolis is a city in the state of Minnesota and the county seat of Hennepin County. As of the 2020 census the population was 429,954, making it the largest city in Minnesota and the 46th-most-populous in the United States. Nicknamed the "City of Lakes", Minneapolis is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks, and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins as the 19th century lumber milling and the flour milling capital of the world, and, to the present day, preserved its financial clout. It occupies both banks of the Mississippi River and adjoins Saint Paul, the state capital of Minnesota.

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth most populous city in the United States, the most populous state capital in the country, and the only U.S. state capital with a population of more than one million residents.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a red or scaly patch of skin. In those with distant spread of the disease, there may be bone pain, swollen lymph nodes, shortness of breath, or yellow skin.

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual may not notice any symptoms, or may experience a brief period of influenza-like illness. Typically, this is followed by a prolonged incubation period with no symptoms. If the infection progresses, it interferes more with the immune system, increasing the risk of developing common infections such as tuberculosis, as well as other opportunistic infections, and tumors which are rare in people who have normal immune function. These late symptoms of infection are referred to as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This stage is often also associated with unintended weight loss.

Pro Football Weekly

Pro Football Weekly

Pro Football Weekly is an American sports magazine, founded in 1967, and website that covers the National Football League (NFL). It was owned by Pro Football Weekly LLC and headquartered in Riverwoods, Illinois. PFW closed temporarily in 2013, but it reopened in partnership with Shaw Media in 2014.

National Football League Players Association

National Football League Players Association

The National Football League Players Association, or NFLPA, is a labor union representing National Football League (NFL) players. The NFLPA, which has headquarters in Washington, D.C., is led by president J. C. Tretter and executive director DeMaurice Smith. Founded in 1956, the NFLPA is the second-oldest labor union of the four major professional sports leagues; it was established to provide players with formal representation to negotiate compensation and the terms of a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The NFLPA is a member of the AFL–CIO, the largest federation of unions in the United States.

Henry Iba

Henry Iba

Henry Payne Iba was an American basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College, now known as Northwest Missouri State University, from 1929 to 1933; the University of Colorado Boulder from 1933 to 1934; and the Oklahoma State University–Stillwater, known as Oklahoma A&M prior to 1957, from 1934 to 1970, compiling a career college basketball coaching record of 751–340. He led Oklahoma A&M to consecutive NCAA basketball tournament titles, in 1945 and 1946.

Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is an Arizona based chamber of commerce. Since 1974, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been promoting statewide business advocacy at the Arizona Capitol and with the Arizona congressional delegation. Its membership employs 250,000 Arizonans from all sectors of the Arizona economy. The Board of Directors of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry is composed of more than 120 business executives, representing industries across Arizona. The Arizona Chamber is governed by the board of directors and its 32 Executive Committee members, including nine board officers. Following the departure of President & CEO Glenn Hammer, Garrick Taylor served as the Interim President & CEO until Danny Seiden began his tenure in early Summer 2021.

Fitzgerald was featured on the cover of the EA Sports video game NCAA Football 2005.^[321] He was one of two players, along with Troy Polamalu, featured on the cover of Madden NFL 10,^[322] making them the first two players to be featured on a Madden NFL cover together.^[323]

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EA Sports

EA Sports

EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" (EASN) with pictures or endorsements with real commentators such as John Madden, it soon grew up to become a sub-label on its own, releasing game series such as FIFA, NHL, NBA Live and Madden NFL.

NCAA Football 2005

NCAA Football 2005

NCAA Football 2005 is an American college football video game which was released by EA Sports on July 15, 2004. It is the successor to NCAA Football 2004 in the NCAA Football series. The game features former Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on the cover. This would be the final game in the NCAA Football series to be released for the GameCube.

Troy Polamalu

Troy Polamalu

Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 12-year career as a strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). An eight-time Pro Bowl and six-time All-Pro selection, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2020, his first year of eligibility.

Madden NFL 10

Madden NFL 10

Madden NFL 10 is an American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. The 21st installment of the Madden NFL series, it is the first game to feature two players on the cover: Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals, who played against each other the previous season in Super Bowl XLIII. It was released in August 2009 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360 and BlackBerry, and for the iOS on September 9 through the App Store.

Madden NFL

Madden NFL

Madden NFL is an American football video game series developed by EA Tiburon for EA Sports. The franchise, named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden, has sold more than 130 million copies as of 2018. Since 2004, it has been the only officially licensed National Football League (NFL) video game series, and has influenced many players and coaches of the physical sport. Among the series' features are detailed playbooks and player statistics and voice commentary in the style of a real NFL television broadcast. As of 2013 the franchise has generated over $4 billion in sales, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises on the market.