Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald a true GOAT amongst GOATs

CANTON, Ohio – It’s one of the great debates of sports, and Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is squarely a part of it:

Who is the standalone GOAT (greatest of all time) at NFL wide receiver?

Calvin Johnson deserves his flowers. Same with Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison Sr. and Julio Jones.

But there’s no denying the top two options:

– Jerry Rice
– Larry Fitzgerald Jr.

Rice has the top spot in plenty of wide-receiving accolades. No one tops the Hall of Famer in total catches (1,549), yards (22,895) and touchdowns (197).

And that’s before mentioning the 13 Pro Bowls, 10 First-Team All-Pros and three Super Bowl rings.

It’s truly an NFL resume that may never be touched, though Fitzgerald is damn close.

Fitzgerald, however, has Rice beat in two arenas, including one that fully encapsulates what it means to be a GOAT.

And it starts with the number one.

There are not many athletes, especially in today’s age, that can say they did it all with one franchise.

Not Rice, not Moss, not Owens.

Did Fitzgerald ever have the thought of playing elsewhere? Sure, but he never seriously looked into it. It wasn’t because of a potential fit or what another team was offering. It was about being a part of that fabric and foundation of the Arizona franchise.

 

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Sure, not winning a Super Bowl stings a little more this week with Fitzgerald being among the greats who have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy and have their busts in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
That doesn’t take away from his decision, however.

Because while Fitzgerald would love to have that ring on his finger this week, there’s more than accolades and stats to Mr. Cardinal.

It’s about the connections he made with fans, the community, coaches, players, media members, security guards, custodians and plenty more.

 

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And that’s where Fitzgerald separates himself in my eyes.

I had the wild opportunity to golf with Rice in an annual celebrity golf tournament in the mid-2000s at the Buckingham Golf and Country Club in northern California.

As a kid in his freshman summer, I was in awe of someone who did it at a high level for so long. He was the gold standard of wide receivers even then, having been just a few years removed from playing, and you could just feel his aura everywhere he went.

It was one of Rice’s first times showing up to the little town of Kelseyville, Calif. He was an awesome person to talk to about San Francisco’s playoff runs, his favorite memories in the Bay Area, my then-high school golf expectations and more. It’ll be a memory engrained in my brain for life, especially when the perennial All-Pro hit me with a “nice drive!”

Inside the ropes, Rice was who I thought he would be.

But as you would expect, the HOFer was absolutely hounded by autograph seekers (some much more courteous than others).

Rice clearly wasn’t down with that, giving me a firsthand look of what athletes of his stature have to work through when they’re not on the field.

The wide receiver ended up leaving after just nine holes, skipping a second nine with another group altogether. I can remember him walking off the ninth green, never to be seen again that year. Some of that was due to his back tightening up, but I believe the avalanche of fans also played a part in that.

Now fast forward 20ish years of being in orbit of another great in Fitzgerald.

Before I worked the Cardinals beat full-time, I was given a few chances to cover the legendary wide receiver before he hung it up.

Much like Rice, having seen Fitzgerald’s career growing up (that dual Madden cover with Troy Polamalu was legit), there was that sense of awe for one of the league’s best to ever do it.

But it was the way he held himself off the field that will be a lasting memory for me.

I remember one Thanksgiving in particular. I headed into the locker room to chat with Fitzgerald for his typical Thursday interview.

Let’s be honest, it was a skeleton crew of media members, with many opting to skip out on the day altogether.

And with hardly any other players in the locker room, I think all of us in attendance were more than ready to book it out of there.

That went for Fitzgerald, too.

But instead of saying, “I’m not talking” or us having to wait another week to speak with him, the wideout went a different route.

Why not we all go home to our families, and we knock it out Friday? Sure enough, that’s what happened.

He showed enough respect to still give us what we needed, but also courteous enough to switch things up –- without any one of us really saying it out loud — so we all could get home and not miss out on those precious moments with family.

My first time covering Fitz at his annual Supper Club event also showed me a different side of him, too. That was the first place I had the chance to properly introduce myself to Fitzgerald amid the red-carpet gaggle. And let me tell you, I was beyond nervous.

Instead of shooing me off or giving little effort answering questions, Fitzgerald was thoughtful, concise and open.

The same came when I caught up with him on the first tee at the WM Phoenix Open over the years.

Despite being next on the tee with a crowd that gives off Scottie Scheffler-gallery vibes each and every year, Fitzgerald made sure to take the time with myself and others.

Even as recent as Wednesday’s Hall of Fame availability, Fitzgerald made it a point to have the Arizona media members who made the trip out get together with him for a photo. He also honored all those who played a big part in his NFL career with a private dinner back in Arizona.

From some of the other reporters I’ve talked to this week, that hasn’t necessarily been the case with other inductees. Another example of how Fitz operates.

I’m no one-off, either. I’ve seen plenty of young reporters trying to claw their way up the ranks also get that kind of treatment from Fitzgerald over the years.

But it’s his way with fans that really hits home for what Fitzgerald means to Arizona.

Time and time again during Fitzgerald’s playing days, I would see crowds similar to what Rice experienced on the golf course.

Would Fitzgerald get to everyone fan? No, but he certainly tried. There was a clear effort to make it happen. It never felt rushed, either.

And if you needed a sign of the impact those brief interactions had, just look at the countless smiles, shocked faces and tears from fans who got the chance.

Rice might be the top dog statistically, but it’s Fitzgerald who truly encapsulates everything a GOAT truly is about.

Thank you, Fitz.

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