On Saturday afternoon, the Class of 2025 that included Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eric Allen and Sterling Sharpe was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. A gold jacket and a bronze bust represents an ideal final chapter for any NFL career, one which only 382 players have ever experienced. Next year, Arizona Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald will join this most prestigious club.
I suppose I shouldn’t make a statement like this one with such conviction. It will be another six months or so before the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 is officially announced, and there are no shortage of examples of players who were thought to be first-ballot locks who ended up needing to endure a few voting cycles before they were allowed entry.
I’m just here to say that Larry Fitzgerald shouldn’t be one of those guys who has to wait.
No, Fitzgerald’s peak wasn’t as high as guys like Calvin Johnson, Terrell Owens or Randy Moss. But Larry Fitzgerald endured far longer than Johnson did. He was never a headache like T.O. was. And his career numbers are actually favorable to those of Randy Moss.
Fitzgerald holds the NFL records for seasons with at least 90 receptions (8), most postseason games with at least 150 receiving yards (3), and most touchdown receptions in a single postseason (7 in 2008). He owns too many Cardinals franchise records to list them all here. And presently, Fitz ranks second behind only Jerry Rice in both career receptions (1,432) and career receiving yards (17,492 yards). His 121 receiving touchdowns rank sixth all-time in league history.
But to look at Fitzgerald’s numbers alone does a disservice to legacy he built over 17 seasons in Arizona. You have to dig deeper.
Larry Fitzgerald is Everything That’s Right About Pro Sports
Over the course of his career, Larry Fitzgerald establish himself as one of, if not the defining player in Arizona Cardinals franchise history. Yes, resetting the record books certainly strengthens his Hall of Fame case, but consider:
-Whenever Fitzgerald goes into the Hall of Fame, he’ll be the only player in Arizona Cardinals history who played for the Cardinals and nobody else on his way to Canton. For most others, the Cardinals were just a footnote. For Fitzgerald, they’re the entire story.
“I wanted to help build something lasting, and being part of that growth meant more to me than chasing opportunities elsewhere,” Fitzgerald told Chris Schaller of AZ Central. “I always looked for ways to improve and stayed committed to the process.”
-Fitz is the subject of the two most famous plays in Arizona Cardinals history – A late 4th quarter 64-yard touchdown reception in Super Bowl XLIII that gave the Cards the lead over the Steelers, and a 75-yard catch and run against the Green Bay Packers in overtime that set Arizona up for the game-winning touchdown. Oh yeah, it was Fitzgerald who scored that final TD too.
-Off the field, Fitzgerald’s impact was even greater than on the field. This is a non-traditional way of evaluating someone’s Hall of Fame candidacy, but this stuff should matter. Fitzgerald is one of just three players to have earned the Art Rooney Award for Sportsmanship AND the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. His philanthropy has touched folks from all walks of life, including military veterans, at-risk youth, cancer patients and in general, the people of the state of Arizona, his adopted home.
If I haven’t convinced you yet that Larry Fitzgerald deserves to be the eighth wide receiver to make the Hall of Fame in their first year on the ballot, I don’t know what will. But in time, Fitz will get the recognition he never sought out during his outstanding NFL career, and it will be a beautiful moment.
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