Larry Fitzgerald, Cardinals go all out granting wish to 7-year-old fan
Jul 18, 2018, 8:09 AM
Seven-year-old Tennyson Erickson grew up on a farm in South Dakota, but he didn’t feel far from the Arizona Cardinals.
His room is filled with Cardinals memorabilia and his family’s elk was named after his favorite player, receiver Larry Fitzgerald. But Erickson, who is battling leukemia, got closer to the Cardinals than he ever imagined when his wish was granted by Fitzgerald and the team.
SportsCenter’s “My Wish” segment featured on Tuesday followed Tennyson on a trip to the Cardinals’ training facility in Tempe, where he met Fitzgerald in person, signed a player’s contract with Arizona president Michael Bidwill and suited up to run with the team during mini-camp.
The Cardinals went all out, sitting Erickson in their office to sign a real NFL deal as a graphic of Erickson on the television screen flashed behind him — he’d previously taken team photos alongside Fitzgerald and defensive end Chandler Jones. With his contract official, Erickson then hit the field, scoring a touchdown off a run play courtesy of a textbook Fitzgerald block.
To remember the adventure to Arizona, Erickson went home with the pen he signed the contract with, a ton of gear and, of course, the memories of meeting a non-elk named Fitz.
