CANTON, Ohio – Larry Fitzgerald was by himself on stage delivering his induction speech Saturday at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and yet his message was anything but that.
"This journey," the legendary Cardinals wide receiver said, "is never about one person."
Such a message makes sense coming from a player who must rely on others to get the ball and make an impact. Certainly, Fitzgerald's talents helped him make plays even when mere mortals would have not.
Fitzgerald, however, knew what others meant to him and how he became what he became. That has how he has lived since the Hall of Fame vote in February putting him in the Class of 2026, thanking all around him – often multiple times – as if those people should celebrate his honor as much as he.
The theme didn't change Saturday.
With teammates like Patrick Peterson, Carson Palmer, Adrian Wilson, David Johnson, Frostee Rucker and Kelvin Beachum on hand, GMs Rod Graves and Steve Keim, coaches Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians, and of course, owner Michael Bidwill, Fitzgerald wouldn't have been able to thank everyone.
But he was pure Fitz, full of eloquence and class.
"That's the part of this story that matters the most," Fitzgerald said. "Not the likes. Not the fame. But the people you travel with. The values you uphold. In the end, it's not just about the excellence. It's about the people who help get you there."
There were a handful of Cardinals Fitzgerald thanked in particular. The late Dennis Green, Fitz's first coach and in reality, his first boss, allowing Fitzgerald to be a ballboy with the Minnesota Vikings and allowing Fitzgerald to learn at the side of Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Randy Moss.
Then Green made sure the Cardinals drafted Fitzgerald with the third pick of the 2004 draft, with quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers on the board.
"The Cardinals had bigger personnel needs," Fitzgerald said. "We have my boy, (wide receiver) Anquan Boldin, 2003 Rookie of the Year, he was balling. But coach Green trusted what I had to offer and picked me anyway.
"Dennis Green always put me in position to win and unequivocally changed the course of my life."
He credited running back Emmitt Smith, playing in the final season of his Hall of Fame career, aiding his rookie year in Arizona.
"I could talk to him, confide in him, rely on him," Fitzgerald said. "The one thing I couldn't do was beat him when we used to wrestle in the locker room. And he was old by then, too!"
And of course, he thanked quarterback Kurt Warner, who arrived in Fitzgerald's second season. Warner and wife Brenda essentially welcomed Fitzgerald into their family as the veteran QB tried to draw Fitzgerald's greatness out of him.
"He shaped me by the example he set through his faith, through his service to the community, as a teammate, a husband, a father… and his weird, insatiable love for spaghetti," Fitzgerald deadpanned.
"Kurt when you demanded that I elevate my preparation, consistency and accountability, you dragged me to the winner's circle."
It was eldest son Devin who presented his father, a touching tribute and a change after Fitzgerald's father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., passed away earlier this year. Devin called his father "tough, fearless, electric, unstoppable." Fitzgerald was all of those things.
"In the brightest moments, the lights weren't too bright for him," Devin said.
The stats all were tangible proof of that. Second in the NFL all-time with 1,432 receptions and 17,492 receiving yards, Fitzgerald got in his zingers, telling close friend Cris Carter that it was he, not Carter, who had the best hands.
But he had advice, ostensibly for sons Devin, Apollo and Milos, but in reality words all should live by.
"One, it's not hard to find people who will tell you what you want to hear. Make a conscious effort to surround yourself with people who will tell you what you need to hear," Fitzgerald said. "The hard things. The uncomfortable things. Believe me: the people in that second group care about you far more than those in the first.
"Two, life is short. Time is precious. And not one of us knows how much we have. So many of the people I mentioned today are no longer with us. Some gone much too soon. Make your time count. Fill every 24 hours with the passions and pursuits that mean the most to you."
Fitzgerald's mother, Carol, died of breast cancer just about a year before Fitzgerald reached the NFL. His father passing just before he went into the Hall of Fame just underscored the perspective Fitzgerald had long held.
That perspective is one of the reasons Fitzgerald wanted to stay with the same franchise and not leave Arizona. He is a forever Cardinal, and now, a forever legend among football's all-time greats.
"It's been 22 years and counting, Arizona," Fitzgerald said. "And I'll spend the rest of my life trying to replenish the well of goodwill I have been lucky enough to drink from."
