Larry Darnell Fitzgerald Jr. is a professional American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was named unanimous All-American while playing college football for the ‘Pittsburgh Panthers.’ He was selected as First-team ‘All-Big East.’ In 2003, he was named ‘Big East Offensive Player of the Year’ and received the ‘Fred Biletnikoff Award’ and ‘Walter Camp Award. Larry accomplished many things after being selected third overall by the Cardinals in the 2004 NFL Draft. His NFL career statistics as of 2017 are as follows: 1,234 receptions, 15,558 receiving yards, 12.6 yards per reception, and 110 receiving touchdowns. As of 2017, he ranked third all-time in receptions, third in receiving yards, and eighth in receiving touchdowns with such an impressive record.
Youth and Early Life
Larry was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on August 31, 1983. His father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., is a sportswriter for the ‘Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder’; he was the first journalist to observe his own son in a ‘Super Bowl.’ In 2003, his mother died of a cerebral hemorrhage while undergoing treatment for breast cancer. In her honor, Larry later established the Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund. He attended Richfield, Minnesota’s Academy of Holy Angels, and the University of Pittsburgh.
Larry’s Varsity Football
During his undergraduate years, he was a member of the Pitt Panthers football team. From 2002 to 2003, he was widely regarded as one of the top college football wide receivers. From his freshman year in 2002, he exhibited a remarkable level of performance. During the Copper Bowl, he had five receptions for 88 yards and one touchdown. He was bowl eligible. He concluded the season with 69 catches for 1,004 yards and 12 touchdowns.
He had an outstanding sophomore season in 2003. He led the ‘Big East’ with 92 receptions for 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns, ranking first in the league. In addition to making the 2003 All-America team, he received the Walter Camp Award, Chic Harley Award, Paul Warfield Award, and Biletnikoff Award. He was also the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy (awarded to college football’s most outstanding player), losing out to Jason White by a narrow margin.
His 34 touchdowns in 26 games played for ‘Pitt’ over two seasons established a new team record. In addition, he made history by becoming the first player in school history to record two consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Larry surpassed Antonio Bryant’s record of 13 games with at least 100 receiving yards, which was a Panthers record for all time. On July 1, 2013, the University of Pittsburgh retired Larry’s number one jersey, making him the university’s ninth athlete to receive this honor.
Larry’s Professional Profession
The Arizona Cardinals drafted him third overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. On September 12 of that year, Larry made his NFL debut against the ‘St. Louis Rams.’ On December 19, 2004, against the ‘St. Louis Rams’ set a record by becoming the youngest player to score at least two touchdown receptions in a single game at the age of 21 years and 110 days. The record was eventually surpassed in 2010 by Aaron Hernandez of the ‘New England Patriots.’
During the 2005 NFL season, Larry had 103 receptions for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named to the NFL’s all-star game for the 2005 season and the 2006 Pro Bowl, his first ‘Pro Bowl.’ Together with Anquan Boldin, he formed one of the league’s most formidable wide-receiver duos.
During the 2007 season, he had 100 receptions for 1,409 yards and 10 touchdowns, and the local media dubbed him “The Best Hands in the NFL” and “Sticky Fingers.” The ‘Arizona Cardinals’ extended his contract by four years and $40 million at the end of the season.
Larry experienced one of his most successful seasons in 2008. He concluded the season with 96 receptions for 1,436 yards and a league-high 12 touchdowns. The Cardinals finished the season with a 9–7 record and qualified for the postseason. His three touchdown receptions in an NFC Championship playoff contest during the 2008 NFL season tied an NFL record. In doing so, he became the first player in NFL history to accomplish this feat in a conference championship game.
On February 1, 2009, the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Arizona Cardinals (including Larry) challenged the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. The ‘Steelers’ won the contest with a 27–23 score. Larry surpassed the NFL playoff records established by Jerry Rice in 1988–1989 with 546 receiving yards, 30 receptions, and seven touchdown receptions to set a single postseason record that surpassed the previous records set by Jerry Rice.
In the NFL’s all-star game for the 2008 season, the Pro Bowl conducted on February 8, 2009, he continued his remarkable play. He caught two more touchdown passes during the NFC’s 30–21 victory over the AFC. Larry was awarded ‘MVP’ and ‘First-team All-Pro’ status for the 2008 season. His performance in 2009 (including 97 receptions for 1,092 yards and 13 touchdowns) earned him a spot in the Pro Bowl for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in his career.
On August 20, 2011, the ‘Cardinals’ signed him to an 8-year, $120 million contract, tying him with Richard Seymour as the NFL’s fifth highest-paid athlete. On November 13, that year, he earned ‘NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after recording 7 receptions for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns against the ‘Philadelphia Eagles’. He received the award a further three times, in 2012, 2014, and 2015.
In addition to establishing a personal record of 17.6 yards per reception, he concluded the 2011 season with 80 receptions for 1,411 yards and eight touchdowns. In the 2013 season, he was named to the ‘Pro Bowl’ for the eighth time in his career, marking the seventh consecutive year in which he has been selected. On February 18, 2015, the ‘Cardinals’ re-signed him to a multi-year contract with a minimum of $11 million guaranteed over the next two seasons.
In the thirteenth week of that season, he became the eleventh player to reach 1,000 career receptions and the youngest to do so. The Cardinals finished the season with a record of 13–3 and claimed the NFC West division. Larry was selected for his ninth Pro Bowl with 109 receptions for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns. On August 5, 2016, the ‘Cardinals’ signed a one-year, $11 million contract extension with him. Larry completed the season with 107 receptions for 1,023 yards and six touchdowns, placing him third on the career receptions list. This season marked his eleventh selection to the Pro Bowl in his career.
On November 17, 2017, the ‘Cardinals’ signed a one-year contract extension with him for the 2018 season. Despite being named to his eleventh Pro Bowl on December 19 of that year, it was later announced that Doug Baldwin of the Seattle Seahawks would replace Larry. On the cover of EA Sports video game ‘NCAA Football 2005,’ he was featured. He was also featured alongside Troy Polamalu on the cover of ‘Madden NFL 10’.
Personal History and Legacy
Former ‘Oakland Raiders cheerleader Angela Nazario has filed a protection order against him. During the 2008 season, Larry was accused of domestic violence against her. Larry has two children. His charitable and philanthropic endeavors include the “Larry Fitzgerald First Down Fund” and the “Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund.” In addition, he was associated with the NFL for three years for their breast cancer awareness campaign, ‘A Crucial Catch’.
His social and humanitarian efforts and contributions earned him the 14th annual ‘Pro Football Weekly Arthur S. Arkush Humanitarian Award’ in August 2012, the ‘NFL Players Association Georgetown Lombardi Award’ in 2013, and the ‘Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Male Award in 2014. In 2016, in fulfillment of a promise to his mother, he pursued a degree from the University of Phoenix. Following his graduation, Larry became the university’s paid spokesperson.
Estimated Net Worth
Larry Fitzgerald is a former American professional football player with a $75 million net worth. Larry Fitzgerald played 17 seasons for the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL. He played collegiate football at the University of Pittsburgh previously. Fitzgerald, widely regarded as one of the best receivers in NFL history, ranks second in both career receiving yards and career receptions.