For Larry Fitzgerald, making the College Football Hall of Fame is about the company he keeps — both through this year's Hall class, and through all of those who helped him reach this career accomplishment.
 
"I've been through it with a couple of my buddies who have been inducted, so I feel like I've been a part of the experience from a distance," Fitzgerald said. "But to be able to go in with so many people — Alex Smith, Randy Moss, just to name a few — it really makes it even that much better because of the relationships you've had.
 
"To be able to share those moments with people you really admire and respect, it's really an awesome feeling."
 
As for the life and football influences that took him from Minneapolis to Pittsburgh, where he went on to record one of the most storied careers in college football history?
 
"Just the people who fought to help me," Fitzgerald said. "Bryan Deal is the one who recruited me to the University of Pittsburgh, the special teams coach and recruiting coordinator. Obviously, Walt Harris, my head coach J.D. Brookhart, the offensive coordinator and our wide receivers coach. They just poured so many hours of attention and love into me as a 17-year-old kid.
 
"They never promised or guaranteed me anything. I guess they did: They guaranteed me the opportunity to compete. They were honest with me from Day One: 'Hey, we're going to push you academically, we're going to push you from the human standpoint, we're going to hold you to high expectations because we know what the expectations are for you at home, and we're going to push you on the field.' I really felt like they cared about me as a human being and as a man and wanted me to be a well-rounded young person. I think the relationship with them was never transactional. And that's what I always appreciated about it."
 
It should come as a surprise to no one that Fitzgerald has made the Hall in his first year of eligibility. He becomes the 20th Pitt player to make the Hall, and he is one of the school's most impactful honorees.
 
The 6-foot-3 Fitzgerald played just two seasons in the Steel City but left his mark, catching 161 passes for 2,677 yards and a school-record 34 receiving touchdowns. He set an NCAA record by catching a touchdown in 18 consecutive games. He led the nation in receiving yards per game (128.62) and touchdown catches (22) in 2003, becoming the first sophomore to earn Walter Camp Player of the Year honors. He won the Biletnikoff Trophy as well. He finished as the Heisman Trophy runner-up, too, behind Jason White. Per Pitt, Fitzgerald set or tied four NCAA records, eight Big East records and 11 school records.
 
"I made so many great memories: Making the academic honor roll, being a freshman All-American, finding my church home in Mount Ararat, some of the friendships that I've developed on the football team and outside of it," Fitzgerald said. "It was a complete experience. All of my greatest memories are not just on the football field. There's a lot of wonderful people — Jan McMannis, academic support, Jeff Long, athletic director, Mr. (Mark) Nordenburg, the chancellor of the school, our head photographer, the University of Pittsburgh police chief, the band director.
 
"I had great relationships with a lot of people, and that's just kind of how it was at the school. Everybody poured into you and tried to make your life richer and I really appreciated that."
 
Fitzgerald didn't slow down once he arrived in the NFL. The Cardinals drafted him No. 3 overall, and he finished second in NFL history in catches (1,432) and receiving yards (17,492) and making 11 Pro Bowls in 17 years. Perhaps most importantly, he was recognized for his philanthropy and off-field impact in 2016, winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
 
Carol Fitzgerald, Larry's mother, passed away from breast cancer in 2003. Larry started The Larry Fitzgerald Foundation in her honor, providing pathways for youth success and supporting those affected by breast cancer in underserved communities.
 
"I'm very proud. It has my name on it, but it's the donors, it's the people continue to show up and support us," Fitzgerald said. "It's the men and women who volunteer their time and their resources. There are a lot of people who contribute to making it a better place. I think in our society, we tend to talk a lot about the negative aspects of life, right? There are people that do some amazing things."
 
LARRY FITZGERALD: UP CLOSE
 

• Named a unanimous First Team All-American while finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2003.
• Claimed the Walter Camp Player of the Year award, the first sophomore recipient ever, and the Biletnikoff Award, as the nation's best receiver, in 2003.
• Set or tied four NCAA records, including catching a touchdown in 18-consecutive games, and totaled 161 catches for 2,677 yards (16.6 avg.) and a Pitt-record 34 touchdowns during only two seasons at Pitt.
• Played for coach Walt Harris.
• Becomes the 20th Pitt player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.