Inside The Panthers

LOOK: Pitt Unveils Larry Fitzgerald Bobblehead

The Pitt Panthers unveiled their new Larry Fitzgerald Bobblehead vs. Syracuse.

Dominic Campbell

Feb 13, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Larry Fitzgerald at the Super Bowl Host Committee Handoff press conference at the Phoenix Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Feb 13, 2023; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Larry Fitzgerald at the Super Bowl Host Committee Handoff press conference at the Phoenix Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers will honor legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald during their game against Syracuse at Acrisure Stadium on Oct. 24 with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, including releasing a bobblehead of him.

The bobblehead depicts Fitzgerald when he played back in the early 2000s for the Panthers, playing in the vegas gold andwhit jersey, along with the dino cat and retro block lettering. The box will come in the current royal blue and mustard yellow, but will still list all the great accomplishments Fitzgerald had with the program.

Pitt also released a ticket discount for Fitzgerald, which is $34 for four sections in the lower level on the away sideline, 106, 107, 113 and 114, as well as seven upper level sections, 535 and 536 above the home sideline and then 509-513 above the away sideline.

He came to Pitt football after serving as one of the best high school wide receivers in Minnesota in the early 2000s. He excelled for the program in just two seasons in 2002-03, making 161 catches for 2,677 yards and 34 touchdowns.

Fitzgerald had one of the best seasons ever for the Panthers in 2003, where he worked with Pittsburgh native and quarterback Rod Rutherford to make 92 catches for 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns. The receiving yards and receiving touchdowns both rank as the most for a Panther in a single season, while his 92 receptions rank third most.

He earned a number of honors and won numerous awards for his performance that season, including First Team All-Big East, Big East Offensive Player of the Year, unanimous All-American, and both the Walter Camp and Biletnikoff Awards, identifying him as one of the best players in the country and the top wide receiver in the FBS, respectively.

The Arizona Cardinals drafted Fitzgerald the the No. 3 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, a franchise Fitzgerald would play all 17 years of his NFL career.

He finished his NFL career with 1,432 catches for 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns. His receptions and receiving yards rank second best all-time, behind Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, while his receiving touchdowns rank sixth best.

Fitzgerald made 11 Pro Bowls (2005, 2007-13, 2015-17), a two-time Second Team All-Pro in 2009 and 2011 and is a member of the NFL 100th Anniversary Team and the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team .

His best season came in 2008, earning his sole First Team All-Pro honor. He led the NFL with 12 receiving touchdowns, while also making 96 catches and a career-high 1,431 yards. He also had an incredible postseason, getting the Cardinals within two minutes of a Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, before the defense failed to stop a last-minute drive.

Fitzgerald also led the NFL in receptions twice in 2005 with 103 and 2016 with a career-high 107. He would also lead the NFL with receiving touchdowns in 2009 with a career-high 13. 

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

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