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Has started all 45 games in which he has appeared since being selected by Arizona with the third overall pick in the 2004 Draft. Only players taken ahead of him were QB Eli Manning (#1 to San Diego) and OT Robert Gallery (#2 to Oakland).
In 2006, came just 54 yards shy of his second career (and second consecutive) 1,000-yard receiving season despite missing three games due to a hamstring injury.
Has nine career 100-yard receiving days; the most recent one came in his hometown against the Vikings on 11/26/06 when he posted a career-high 172 yards on 11 catches.
His 103 receptions in 2005 set a new franchise single-season mark, breaking Anquan Boldin’s previous mark of 101 set in 2003. The 103 receptions tied for the league lead with Carolina’s Steve Smith.
Earned his first career Pro Bowl selection in 2005; that year led the Cardinals in receptions (103) for the second consecutive season, as well as yards (1,409) and touchdowns (10).
In 2005, Fitzgerald and Boldin became only the second tandem in NFL history to top 100 receptions and 1,400 receiving yards in the same season (Detroit’s Herman Moore and Brett Perriman in 1995).
He and Boldin combined for 15 100-yard receiving games in 2005, breaking the previous team record of 11 set in 2001.
At 22 years, 123 days became the youngest receiver in NFL history to record a 100-catch campaign when he reached the milestone @ Indy on 1/1/06.
Pro Career:
Selected in the first round of the 2004 Draft; was the first receiver taken and the third player overall behind QB Eli Manning (San Diego) and T Robert Gallery (Oakland). Fitzgerald was named to the Pro Bowl in 2005 after setting a franchise record with 103 receptions, a figure that tied Carolina’s Steve Smith for the NFL lead.
2006: With 946 yards on 69 catches (six TDs), he finished just shy of his second career 1,000-yard season despite missing three starts due to injury for the second year in a row, opened the season with over 100 yards receiving after hauling in nine passes for 133 yards vs. SF (9/10) caught six passes for 65 yards, including his first TD of the season, a 12-yarder from Kurt Warner, vs. StL (9/24) caught four passes for a team high 71 yards including a 46-yard reception from Warner in the first quarter @ Atl (10/1), making it his 17th consecutive game with at least four catches starting his 37th straight game, caught two passes for 15 yards, including a five-yard TD pass from Matt Leinart to give the Cardinals an early 14-0 lead before leaving in the second quarter with a hamstring injury vs. KC (10/8); marked his 30th game in a row with at least one catch inactive for the first time in his NFL career with a hamstring injury and had to miss the next three contests returned to the field and led the team in receptions and receiving yards when he hauled in six passes for 80 yards vs. Dal (11/12) while recording his ninth career 100-yard game, set a new career-high with 172 yards on 11 receptions @ Min (11/26); his 172 yards were the highest in the NFL in week 12 and Anquan Boldin’s 140 yards it marked the fifth time that the duo both finished a game with over 100 yards receiving; 11 receptions also put him over 200 career receptions (205) had team high five receptions for 46 yards while adding an 11-yard TD reception in the second quarter to give the Cardinals a 14-3 lead @ StL (12/3) brought in a game high seven receptions for 79 yards, including five-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter that put the Cardinals ahead for good vs. Sea (12/10) led the team with 77 yards on five catches vs. Den (12/17); eclipsed the 3,000 yard receiving mark for his career for the second game in a row, led the Cardinals with 93 yards receiving on four catches, including a six-yard TD @ SF (12/24); 57 of those 93 yards came on a career long reception on the Cardinals first offensive drive of the game.
2005: Set a new franchise record for receptions in a season with 103 in his second season recorded a career-high 13 receptions for 155 yards and one touchdown in the season opener @ NYG (9/11) recorded seven receptions for 102 yards including his second touchdown of the season in Mexico City vs. SF (10/2) recorded his second consecutive 100+ receiving day vs. Car (10/9) hauling in nine receptions for 136 yards and one TD; he and Boldin became the first wide receivers to record 100 or more yards in consecutive games since Kevin Dyson and Derrick Mason did on 11/25 and 12/2/01 for the Tennessee Titans recorded four receptions for 71 yards vs. Ten (10/23) including a 34-yard TD recorded his fourth 100+ game of the season after grabbing eight passes for 102 yards vs. Sea (11/6) recorded his fifth 100 yard receiving game and his second consecutive @ Det (11/13) after hauling in nine passes for 141 yards including an eight-yard TD pass from Kurt Warner recorded his sixth 100-yard game of the season with nine receptions for 104 yards @ StL (11/20) and one TD recorded four receptions for 41 yards and fell one yard shy of breaking 1,000 yards vs. Jax (11/27); added a five-yard TD reception from Warner to put the Cardinals within seven points with just under three minutes remaining in the game surpassed 1,000 yards on his first reception of the day @ SF (12/4) and finished the afternoon with eight receptions for 129 yards recorded six catches for 85 yards and one TD @ Hou (12/18) and became only the sixth person in team history to record more than 90 receptions in a single season surpassed 1,300 receiving yards with five receptions for 93 yards vs. Phi (12/24) and scored on a 25-yard pass from Josh McCown in the third quarter set a new team record for receptions in a season with 103 for 1,409 yards after posting six receptions for 80 yards @ Ind (1/1) along with Boldin, the duo became only the third pair of teammates in NFL history to post 1,400+ receiving yards in a season and the third set to record over 100 receptions in the same season.
2004: The Cardinals first overall selection in the 2004 draft (third overall), led the team and finished second among NFL rookies in receiving with 58 receptions for 780 yards and eight touchdowns in his first career start @ StL (9/12), caught nine passes for a team-high 70 receiving yards; opened the game with a 37-yard flea flicker reception from Josh McCown which was the longest offensive play of the game for either team had a team-high five receptions for 94 yards and scored his first career TD, a 24-yard pass from McCown @ SF (10/10) recorded a 39-yard reception on the second play of the game en route to four receptions for a team-high 73 yards vs. Sea (10/24); attempted a pass on the first play of the game but was sacked for a loss of seven yards; recorded a 25-yard touchdown grab on the Cardinals second drive of the game, putting the Cards on the board first with a 7-0 lead did not record a reception for the first time all season @ Buf (10/31), in the windy conditions the Cardinals completed only nine passes tied Boldin for receptions with five for 92 yards @ Mia (11/7), four of those receptions came for 84 yards in the fourth quarter; set-up a five-yard Emmitt Smith touchdown run after connecting with McCown for a 32-yard gain; caught a 48-yard pass from McCown to put the Cardinals on the Miami three yard-line with 1:07 remaining; four plays later tied the score at 23 with a two-yard TD reception with 19 seconds remaining; Neil Rackers extra point gave the Cardinals a 24- 23 lead to win the game; his 48-yard reception at Miami was the team’s longest all season caught a game high seven passes for 92 yards and one TD @ Car (11/21) snagged TD passes from eight and four yards out from McCown while totaling four receptions for 37 yards vs. StL (12/19 snagged two 29-yard TD passes from McCown in the 4th quarter @ Sea (12/26) to put the Cardinals to within three points; finished the game with four receptions for 70 yards became the first Cardinals’ receiver since the 1970 NFL/AFL Merger to catch two TD passes in two consecutive games.
College:
Attended prep school at Valley Forge (PA) Military Academy after his senior year of high school ... was eligible for the 2004 NFL Draft since three years had passed since his high school class graduated ... one of the most decorated receivers in Big East Conference history a Heisman trophy finalist in 2003, finished second to Oklahoma QB Jason White by just 128 points (1,481-1,353) Walter Camp player-of-the-year, Biletnikoff Award winner, and Columbus Touchdown Club player-of-the-year unanimous all-America selection as a sophomore at University of Pittsburgh in just 26 games with the Panthers, caught 161 passes for 2,677 yards (16.6- yard avg.) and 34 touchdowns only Antonio Bryant (173, 1999-2001) and Latef Grim (178, 1998-2000) recorded more receptions in a career at Pittsburgh his 2,677 yards rank behind Grim (2,680), Dietrich Jells (3,003, 1991-95) and Bryant (3,061), and 34 receiving scores broke the school career record of 30 by Bryant also holds the school record with at least one touchdown catch in 16 consecutive games first player in school history with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons receiving his 14 games with at least 100 yards receiving broke the previous Panthers all-time record of 13 set by Bryant posted 35 receptions for 420 yards and seven touchdowns in six games at Valley Forge Military Academy.
Personal:
Full name Larry Darnell Fitzgerald two-time all-state and prep all-America receiver at Academy of the Holy Angels High School in Minneapolis, MN recorded 73 receptions for 1,254 yards (17.2-yard avg.) and 17 touchdowns as a senior, 54 catches for 1,347 yards (24.9-yard avg.) with 12 touchdowns and had 10 consecutive 100-yard receiving games as a junior also a three-year defensive starter, playing free safety as a senior and outside linebacker as a junior and sophomore lettered twice in basketball and once in track studied in the college of arts and sciences at Pittsburgh father, Larry Sr., played footbal at Indiana State from 1975-77 ... Larry Sr. is currently the sports editor for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder his mother, Carol, passed away in April of 2003 after a seven-year bout with cancer; Larry keeps her driver’s license in his wallet next to his own younger brother, Marcus, is a senior wide receiver at Marshall. |
