Pitt Legend Predicted to be First Ballot Hall of Famer

Pitt Panthers legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is predicted to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first try.

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-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- Former Pitt Panthers legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had a great career, which will almost certainly end with him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Bill Barnwell of ESPN predicted the next 10 Pro Football Hall of Fame classes, and put Fitzgerald in the Class of 2026, the first year he would have eligibility to earn enshrinement.

"...While he was somehow only a first-team All-Pro once, the one-team wideout had nine different 1,000-yard seasons," Barnwell wrote. "He also produced what might have been the best postseason by any wide receiver ever in 2008, as his 30 catches for 546 yards and seven touchdowns nearly earned the Cardinals a Super Bowl title."

Barnwell also placed Fitzgerald alongside other NFL greats in quarterback Drew Brees, running back Frank Gore, tight end Jason Witten and cornerback Richard Sherman in the Hall of Fame Class of 2026.

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 ranks 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.

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.

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