Larry Fitzgerald is officially the 25th Pitt Panther to be elected into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Fitzgerald, who starred at Pitt in the early 2000s and earned just about every possible accolade for a collegiate wide receiver before going on to become one of the best wideouts in NFL history, is one of the 22 members of the National Football Foundation’s Hall of Fame class of 2024.
“Larry Fitzgerald’s career at Pitt was absolutely unforgettable,” Pat Narduzzi said in the Pitt press release. “It’s not just the big plays he made, those gigantic catches, but it was the incredible class he displayed on and off the field. Personally, I will never forget him handing the ball to the officials after every touchdown. Pure class. Everyone at Pitt is so proud of Larry and offers their congratulations on his election to the College Football Hall of Fame.”
“Larry Fitzgerald is a Hall of Famer by any definition, not only for his incredible play on the field but also for his passionate commitment to helping others,” Director of Athletics Heather Lyke said in the release. “The University of Pittsburgh is incredibly proud to call Larry a Panther. We look forward to welcoming him back to campus this fall to celebrate this richly deserved honor.”
Fitzgerald only spent two seasons at Pitt, but he made an impact that cannot — and will not — be forgotten any time soon. And that impact has continued to this day.
In those two seasons at Pitt from 2002-03, he recorded 161 receptions for 2,677 yards and 34 touchdowns. His sophomore campaign (92 receptions for 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns) earned him Heisman runner-up honors.
Fitzgerald was perhaps the best player in college football in the 2003 season as he won the Biletnikoff Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and was named a unanimous All-American. And there’s a legitimate argument to be made that he should’ve won the Heisman Trophy, too.
His dominance carried over to the NFL after being selected with the third pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Despite a career in which he played with a revolving door of quarterbacks; Fitzgerald will go down as one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history.
In 17 seasons, all with the Cardinals, he recorded 1,432 receptions (second all-time) for 17,492 yards (second all-time) and 121 touchdowns (sixth all-time). And he added 57 receptions for 942 yards and 10 touchdowns in the postseason — including one of the greatest individual postseasons in 2008.
The 2024 College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 66th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on December 10 at Bellagio Resort & Casino. They will also be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2024 season, and subsequently immortalized at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame, which is celebrating its 10th Anniversary in Atlanta in 2024.
Fitzgerald, along with fellow Pitt legends Matt Cavanaugh, Ruben Brown and Chris Doleman, were inducted into the Pitt Hall of Fame last year, and after his College Hall of Fame induction, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will be next.
He was a lock. The Panthers had some great receivers, but the only receiver close to Fitz was probably T.B.
Antonio Bryant was incredible as well.
AB was pretty incredible, I agree.