87 Facts About Larry Fitzgerald

Larry Fitzgerald played college football at University of Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Cardinals with the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Larry Fitzgerald is widely considered by fans, coaches and peers to be one of the greatest receivers in NFL history.

Larry Fitzgerald was named First-team All-Pro in 2008 and Second-team All-Pro twice in 2009 and 2011.

Larry Fitzgerald is second in NFL career receiving yards, second in career receptions, and sixth in receiving touchdowns.

Larry Fitzgerald became a minority owner of the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association in 2020.

In May 2022, Larry Fitzgerald teamed up with Chris Paul and Kelvin Beachum to invest in the Rajasthan Royals, a cricket team in the Indian Premier League.

In December 2022 Larry Fitzgerald became an owner of Major League Pickleball team, Arizona Drive.

Larry Fitzgerald was motivated to invest in AZ Drive by his own love for playing pickleball and the way it encourages people of all ages to stay active and competitive.

Larry Fitzgerald Enterprises is committed to growing and diversifying investments by backing businesses that have the potential to make an impact.

In 2005, Larry Fitzgerald founded the First Down Fund, now the Larry Fitzgerald Foundation.

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

Larry Fitzgerald's coverage includes Monday Night Countdown, NFL Playoff coverage, and other broadcasts that expand on football insights.

In 2022, Larry Fitzgerald was named Executive Chairman of the Arizona Super Bowl Host.

March 22,2023 - Larry Fitzgerald was nominated as a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.

Larry Fitzgerald joined the national Board of Governors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

Larry Fitzgerald made the announcement in early 2023, detailing his personal involvement in the Boys and Girls Club during his youth and, more recently, over a decade of partnerships on school supply and technology programs in Arizona and Minneapolis.

Larry Fitzgerald joined the Tempus Ex board of directors in 2021.

Larry Fitzgerald attended and played high school football at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota.

Larry Fitzgerald did not meet NCAA requirements to play football as a freshman, so he spent a year at Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania.

Larry Fitzgerald attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he played for the Pittsburgh Panthers football team under head coach Walt Harris.

Larry Fitzgerald was widely considered one of the best wide receivers in college football from 2002 to 2003.

Larry Fitzgerald was held without a touchdown for the first time in 18 collegiate games.

Larry Fitzgerald 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.

In just 26 games in his collegiate career, Larry Fitzgerald caught 161 passes for 2,677 yards and set a new Pitt record with 34 receiving touchdowns.

Larry Fitzgerald was the first player in school history with back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and his 14 games with at least 100 yards receiving broke Antonio Bryant's previous all-time Panthers record of 13.

Larry Fitzgerald's 18 straight games with at least one touchdown reception is an NCAA record.

Larry Fitzgerald was the ninth Pittsburgh player to receive this honor.

In 2021, Larry Fitzgerald was ranked second on ESPN's list of the 50 greatest wide receivers of the past 50 years.

The NFL granted an exception to allow Larry Fitzgerald to enter the draft, as Larry 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.

Larry Fitzgerald was the first wide receiver to be selected in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Larry Fitzgerald's 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.

Larry Fitzgerald's season was strong throughout, finding the endzone in ten separate games and totaling seven games with over 100 receiving yards.

In 2005, Larry 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.

Larry Fitzgerald teamed with Anquan Boldin to create one of the most productive wide receiver tandems in the NFL.

Larry Fitzgerald sustained a hamstring injury and missed three games.

Larry Fitzgerald closed out the 2006 season with four receiving touchdowns in the last five games.

Larry Fitzgerald's numbers earned him the nickname "Sticky Fingers" and "The Best Hands in the NFL" in local media.

Larry Fitzgerald totaled seven games going over the 100-yard mark, including two games eclipsing the 150-yard barrier.

Larry Fitzgerald finished the regular season with 96 receptions for 1,431 yards and a league-leading 12 touchdowns.

Larry Fitzgerald followed up his great 2008 season by catching two more touchdown passes in the 2009 Pro Bowl, earning him MVP honors.

Larry Fitzgerald was named as a First-team All Pro for the 2008 season.

Larry Fitzgerald finished out the 2009 regular season with a receiving touchdown in the last three games.

Larry Fitzgerald was named to his third consecutive and fourth career Pro Bowl for his efforts in 2009.

Larry Fitzgerald finished ranked as the 14th best player in the league among his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.

Larry Fitzgerald went over the 100-yard mark six times, including three games where he just missed the 150-yard mark.

Larry Fitzgerald's accomplishments were recognized by an All-Pro second-team selection as well as his sixth Pro Bowl selection.

Larry Fitzgerald finished ranked as the seventh best player in the league among his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012 list.

Larry Fitzgerald was named to his sixth consecutive and seventh career Pro Bowl.

Larry Fitzgerald finished ranked 22nd by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013 list.

Larry Fitzgerald started the 2013 season with eight receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns against the St Louis Rams.

Larry Fitzgerald finished ranked 38th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014 list.

Larry Fitzgerald was a stable part of the Cardinals' offense in 2014.

Larry Fitzgerald started his 11th professional season against the San Diego Chargers.

Larry Fitzgerald did not have his first touchdown of the season until the fifth game of the season against the Washington Redskins.

Larry Fitzgerald was ranked 68th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015 list.

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

Larry Fitzgerald closed out the 2015 regular season with a receiving touchdown in the last two games against the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.

Larry Fitzgerald was ranked 27th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.

On January 16,2016, Larry 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.

Larry Fitzgerald was held to four receptions for 30 yards in the NFC Championship against the Carolina Panthers.

Larry Fitzgerald moved from 11th to 3rd on the all-time career reception list, and ended the season ninth all-time in receiving yards.

Larry Fitzgerald was named to his tenth career Pro Bowl.

Larry Fitzgerald was ranked 45th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.

On November 17,2017, Larry Fitzgerald signed a one-year contract extension with the Cardinals worth $11 million through the 2018 season.

Larry Fitzgerald tied his career-best with 109 receptions, finishing second to Jarvis Landry, and finished eighth in the NFL with 1,156 receiving yards.

On December 19,2017, Larry Fitzgerald was named to his 11th Pro Bowl.

Larry Fitzgerald was ranked 27th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

In Week 14, against the Detroit Lions, Larry Fitzgerald set an NFL record for most receptions with one team with 1,282.

Larry Fitzgerald was ranked 60th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.

On January 23,2019, Larry Fitzgerald announced he would return for the 2019 season, and signed a one-year contract extension with the Cardinals.

On January 15,2020, Larry Fitzgerald re-signed with the Cardinals on a one-year deal worth $11 million.

Larry Fitzgerald 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.

On February 16,2022, despite not officially stating that he was retiring, Larry Fitzgerald admitted he was not planning on returning to play in the NFL.

In 2016, Larry Fitzgerald completed his undergraduate degree with the University of Phoenix, fulfilling a promise that he made to his mother to finish his education.

Larry Fitzgerald is an avid traveler and has visited nearly 100 countries.

Larry Fitzgerald developed a friendship with Arizona politician John McCain, and spoke at the memorial service for the US senator and Presidential candidate held in Phoenix on August 30,2018.

On January 22,2020, Larry Fitzgerald bought a minority stake in the NBA's Phoenix Suns to become a partial team owner.

Larry Fitzgerald has developed a long-standing friendship with franchise owner Robert Sarver since 2005, with him getting more active and involved with the Suns since 2018.

Larry Fitzgerald is an active venture investor, having invested in 40 to 50 companies as of October 2019.

Larry 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.

Larry Fitzgerald is an avid chess player and is the board member of First Move Chess.

Larry Fitzgerald partnered with Riddell to provide new helmets to 1,000 kids in the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation football program.

Larry Fitzgerald has made five USO tours to visit soldiers overseas and has raised financial support for injured and critically ill members of the US military.

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.

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

Larry Fitzgerald was featured on the cover of the EA Sports video game NCAA Football 2005.

Larry Fitzgerald was one of two players, along with Troy Polamalu, featured on the cover of Madden NFL 10, making them the first two players to be featured on a Madden NFL cover together.