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Larry Fitzgerald knows when his career went from great to Hall of Fame

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Larry Fitzgerald knows when his career went from great to Hall of Fame
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald runs out onto the field to warm up before Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa.
(Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

Larry Fitzgerald broke toward Canton when Bruce Arians became his head coach.

“Unequivocally, I wouldn’t be sitting in this place if Bruce hadn’t coached me,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald said so from a chair inside the Hall of Fame in April, during a visit in advance of the Class of 2026 enshrinement.

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Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona Cardinals record-setting receiver, Hall of Famer

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald runs out onto the field to warm up before Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa.

(Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)

“No knocks to anybody who coached me before,” he said. “Bruce challenged me in ways I needed to be challenged.”

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Browns fans know Arians for his fondest career wish, becoming head coach in Cleveland. The Browns had their chances but missed the boat.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR - 2004-2020 Arizona Cardinals | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 - 2026 )

Larry Fitzgerald, WR – 2004-2020 Arizona Cardinals | (Times as a Semifinalist: 1 – 2026 )

Arians was Cleveland’s offensive coordinator for three years. After head coach Butch Davis fired him, he was receivers coach of the Steelers under coordinator Ken Whisenhunt. When Whisenhunt left in 2007 to be head coach of  Fitzgerald’s team, the Arizona Cardinals, Arians bumped up to Steelers “OC.”

The Cardinals brought in Arians as head coach in 2013.

“I was in my 10th year in the NFL,” Fitzgerald said. “I had felt I deserved more than what I did. Bruce kind of reframed that for me. He put me in positions I had never been in.”

Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald look on prior to preseason home game against the Houston Texans, Aug. 9, 2014.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald look on prior to preseason home game against the Houston Texans, Aug. 9, 2014.

Fitzgerald had been a star on mostly losing teams.

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Arizona was 6-10 in 2004 when he was a rookie, drafted third overall after Eli Manning and Robert Gallery. In 2005, he led the NFL with 103 catches on a 5-11 team.

Through nine seasons, Fitzgerald averaged well over 1,000 yards and twice led the league in receiving TDs, but the Cardinals kept sinking to 5-11ish.

2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Larry Fitzgerald talks about the lessons he has learned from the game at the Hall, Friday, April 17, 2026.

2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinee Larry Fitzgerald talks about the lessons he has learned from the game at the Hall, Friday, April 17, 2026.

A big exception was Fitzgerald’s fifth year.

In the 2008 postseason, paired with 2017 Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner, he racked up 101 receiving yards against the Falcons, 166 yards against the Panthers and 152 yards (with three TDs) against the Eagles.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald runs out onto the field to warm up before Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald runs out onto the field to warm up before Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa.

Then came Super Bowl XLIII, a thriller in Tampa.

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Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison’s 100-yard pick 6 on the last play of the first half put the Cardinals in a hole. Fitzgerald lifted them out in the fourth quarter.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald runs away from Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and scores a fourth-quarter touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald runs away from Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison and scores a fourth-quarter touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa.

On one series he made four catches, one for a score. With less than three minutes left, Warner went short over the middle to Fitzgerald, who ran another 55 yards, pulling away from three Steelers for a TD and a 23-20 lead.

“Kurt Warner made a perfect read on a perfect play and got the ball to the perfect guy,” CBS’ John Madden told 100 million people.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald races into the end zone in the fourth quarter with his second touchdown reception of Super Bowl XLIII as Pittsburgh Steelers defender James Harrison pursues, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald races into the end zone in the fourth quarter with his second touchdown reception of Super Bowl XLIII as Pittsburgh Steelers defender James Harrison pursues, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa.

With Arians calling plays, Ben Roethlisberger drove the Steelers. Santonio Holmes’ diving catch in the end zone at the 0:42 mark beat the Cardinals 27-23.

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Arizona returned to the playoffs in 2009 but got spanked 45-14 by Drew Brees and the Saints.

The Cardinals went 5-11, 8-8 and 5-11 the next three years, costing Whisenhunt his job after the 2012 season. Arians was 2012 NFL coach of the year based on work with the Colts as interim replacement for ailing Chuck Pagano. New Browns owner Jimmy Haslam fired Pat Shurmur and, on Jan. 10, 2013, hired Rob Chudzinski over Arians and others. The Cardinals hired Arians on Jan. 17.

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Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints record-setting quarterback, Hall of Famer

Four of the five newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame (from left) Luke Kuechly, Drew Brees, Roger Craig and Larry Fitzgerald pose for a photo after unveiling their personal items for display at the Hall of Fame, Friday, April 17, 2026.

(Kevin Whitlock / Massillon Independent)

The 6-foot-3, 218-pound Fitzgerald had been an outside receiver. Arians moved him inside to the slot, as he had done with Hines Ward in Pittsburgh and Reggie Wayne in Indianapolis.

Fitzgerald’s new world included tormenting nickel cornerbacks, schooling coverage linebackers and blocking like never before.

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“Bruce was amazing,” Fitzgerald said. “He challenged you every single day. I became a lot better football player when he came.”

Larry Fitzgerald.

Larry Fitzgerald.

The Cardinals went on one of the best runs in the history of a franchise born in a 1920 meeting in Canton, going 34-14 in Arians’ first three years. The Cardinals’ all-time record if you subtract those years is 617-860-41.  

Fitzgerald was 32 in 2015 when he led the NFL with 109 catches on a 13-3 team.

A midseason win at Cleveland exemplified Fitzgerald’s role. He caught nine passes from Carson Palmer, running shorter routes. He helped set up single coverage for outside receiver Michael Floyd, who caught a 60-yard touchdown pass. His blocking helped Chris Johnson run for 109 yards. He continued to line up wide as a change of pace.

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Arians called Fitzgerald “the ultimate team player,” placing him in the same blocking echelon as Hines Ward.

Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald provides a block as Christian Kirk runs the ball against the Seattle Seahawks, Sept. 30, 2018, in Glendale, Arizona.

Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald provides a block as Christian Kirk runs the ball against the Seattle Seahawks, Sept. 30, 2018, in Glendale, Arizona.

Palmer raised eyebrows in 2019 when he called Fitzgerald the best all-around receiver of all-time, noting that young players “would learn more from him in two years than they will in the rest of their careers.”

The updated top 10 in NFL career receiving yards reflects how well Fitzgerald applied his strongest trait:

1, Jerry Rice, 22,895; 2, Fitzgerald, 17,492; 3, Terrell Owens, 15,934; 4, Randy Moss, 15,292; 5, Isaac Bruce, 15,208; 6, Tony Gonzalez, 15,127; 7, Tim Brown, 14,934; 8, Steve Smith, 14,731; 9, Marvin Harrison, 14,580; 10, Reggie Wayne, 14,345

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald scores a fourth-quarter touchdown as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison gives chase in Super Bowl XLIII, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald scores a fourth-quarter touchdown as Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison gives chase in Super Bowl XLIII, Feb. 1, 2009, in Tampa.

Arians relinquished the Arizona job after the 2017 season for health reasons. After a year off, he said he would consider a return only if it was in Cleveland, although he actually came back as head coach of the Buccaneers in 2019.

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The last of Fitzgerald’s 17 NFL seasons, all with the Cardinals, was 2020.

Fitzgerald grew up in Minneapolis. His dad was a media man who hosted Vikings head coach Dennis Green’s radio show.     

Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald speaks during media day for Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jan. 27, 2009, in Tampa.

Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald speaks during media day for Super Bowl XLIII against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jan. 27, 2009, in Tampa.

“After one of the shows, my dad asked Coach Green if he would let my brother and me work for him during training camp,” Fitzgerald said. “I worked security. My brother worked special teams. His job was a lot cooler than mine.

“I learned from Coach Green, just being in his presence. He was a force of nature. He did the work of 10 men.”

Fitzgerald came through the Twin Cities at the same time as Joe Mauer, who was four months older. He didn’t see himself in the same athletic echelon as Mauer, a USA Today national high school player of the year in football as a quarterback and in baseball as a catcher.

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Mauer was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 2024. He and Fitzgerald were honorary co-chairs of golf’s U.S. Amateur Championship in Minnesota later in the year.

“I grew up playing baseball, and I ran track,” Fitzgerald said. “I was best in football. The game chose me a little bit more than I chose the game.

“I loved to compete. I loved to play with my friends in the park. I always enjoyed the relationships the games create.”

Fitzgerald played college football at Pitt under the difficult circumstances of his mother, Carol, contending with breast cancer back home. She died in 2002, the same year Larry began to make a national name.

Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (1) celebrates a touchdown against Virginia Tech with teammate receiver Yogi Roth in the second quarter, Nov. 8, 2003.

Pittsburgh wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (1) celebrates a touchdown against Virginia Tech with teammate receiver Yogi Roth in the second quarter, Nov. 8, 2003.

In 2003, he led the country in catches (92), receiving yards (1,672) and touchdowns (22). He finished a close second to Oklahoma quarterback Jason White in Heisman Trophy balloting. Eli Manning was a distant third.

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Arizona drafted Fitzgerald shortly after hiring a new head coach well known to him, Dennis Green.

Larry Fitzgerald, a new Pro Football Hall of Famer, speaks about his items on display in a new exhibit at the Hall, Friday, April 17, 2026.

Larry Fitzgerald, a new Pro Football Hall of Famer, speaks about his items on display in a new exhibit at the Hall, Friday, April 17, 2026.

Fitzgerald recalls developing a mindset of “learning from mistakes, walking in my purpose and doing what God called me to do.” One of his regrets was not being more present for his mother when she battled cancer.

In the NFL, he caught passes from a succession of quarterbacks, including Josh McCown, Warner, Matt Leinert, Derek Anderson, John Skelton, Kevin Kolb, Palmer, Josh Rosen and Kyler Murray.

After Arians won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay in 2020, he tried to get Fitzgerald to play for the Buccaneers in 2021. When that didn’t happen, Fitzgerald began the waiting period before becoming, to no one’s surprise, a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

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Reach Steve at steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com

The Canton Repository sports department can be contacted via email at sports@cantonrep.com.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Larry Fitzgerald knows when his career went from great to Hall of Fame

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