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Full Summary Veteran sports journalist Larry Fitzgerald Sr., a pioneering voice for African‑American coverage who died at 71, is remembered for his influential career and the lasting impact he had on his Hall of Fame son Larry Fitzgerald Jr.’s football success and broader sports ventures.
Backstage at the NFL Honors in early February, shortly after Larry Fitzgerald Jr. finished up a press conference with other members of the newest class of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, it seemed like a perfect time to share a particular memory.
Standing next to the former Arizona Cardinals receiver was his proud papa, or as he often reminded me, “The Original Larry Fitzgerald.”
Opinion
I just had to tell Junior about the first time, back in the late ‘90s, that I learnedLarry had a son who could be going places with his football talent. I don’t rememberwhether Junior was in high school or junior high at the time, but I distinctly recallhow Fitzgerald assured me that the young wide receiver was legit, not unlikemillions of parents who flow with pride about their children. Declared The Original:“I think he might be pretty good.”
We were in a garden in Honolulu, with our wives at an NFL reception during ProBowl week. And there’s no memory fog about this: The Original whipped out hiswallet to show me some proof. It was a newspaper article about Junior, neatlyfolded and tucked away as a surefire show-and-tell prop.
So, shooting the breeze more than a quarter-century later at the Palace of Fine Artsin San Francisco during the week of Super Bowl 60, with the Hall call officiallyrevealed, this was some kind of full-circle moment.
“He probably wrote the article,” Junior said, grinning at his dad.
Nah, I told him, somebody else wrote that one.
The point hit home. Fitzgerald – a legendary sports radio figure and sportswriter inThe Twin Cities who died Monday at 71 – supplied Junior and his older son,Marcus, with Hall of Fame-level support.
“My father was a man of strength, love and encouragement,” Fitzgerald, Jr. postedon X. “He opened countless doors for me and my brother. He believed in us andpushed us to pursue every opportunity with conviction; he was the rock of ourfamily. He taught us that perseverance, hard work and unwavering commitment arethe foundations of a meaningful life and personal success. I will carry his love,words and wisdom with me always.”
Father opened doors for Larry Fitzgerald Jr.
Turns out that Junior was more than “pretty good,” turning out numbers for catches(1,432) and receiving yards (17,492) during a 17-year NFL career that are exceededonly by Jerry Rice on the all-time list. And along the road to Canton, The Original – a media fixture on the scene for a bunch of NBA Finals, NCAA Final Fours, OlympicGames, World Series and other big events – might have been the first reporter tocover his son in a Super Bowl.
Sadly, The Original won’t be at the Hall of Fame in August to physically participatein the enshrinement ceremonies. Surely, he’ll be there in spirit, along with Larryand Marcus’ mother, Carol, who passed away in 2003.
Imagine the pride The Original carried in witnessing Junior become such a classact, on and off the field.
As Cris Carter, the Hall of Fame receiver and former Vikings star reflected, “That’s afamily that did a lot right.”
Those who knew him, including media colleagues and figures associated with theteams that he covered – most notably the Vikings, Twins and Timberwolves – willvouch for Fitzgerald’s impact as a pioneer journalist and voice of socialconsciousness. And that’s in addition to his kindness and hearty laugh. For decades,he wrote columns for The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, a longtime staple of theBlack press. And his voice may have been even more prolific on the airwaves as ahost and reporter for several stations, including KMOJ-FM, on which he conducted“The Dennis Green Show” for several years with the late Vikings coach. He alsoestablished a sports talk show distributed on a network of stations.
“He had an impact on African-Americans covering the games and their access,”Carter told USA TODAY Sports. “That was one of his biggest contributions, makingsure our community had a voice.”
Cris Carter remembers Larry Fitzgerald Sr.
Carter’s relationship with Fitzgerald, a Chicago native who played defensive tackleat Indiana State, went way deeper than any typical player-reporterconnection. Carter said that Fitzgerald had a knack for relating to players in a waythat allowed him to elicit perspectives in interviews on a range of topics beyond thegame. When Fitzgerald collaborated on the show with Green, he opened a door forhis teenage sons to work with the Vikings as ball boys.
“That ball boy connection started a lot of stuff,” said Ray Richardson, who producedthe Green show on KMOJ, and spent many years as a sportswriter and radio figurein Minnesota. “I think Larry started when Randy Moss was a rookie (in 1998), andthey had Cris Carter and Jake Reed. Those guys gravitated to him.
“It gave Junior so much insight into what all went into being an elite athlete. Itrubbed off on him. They’d be on the sideline at his high school games (at Academyof Holy Angels). And Cris Carter became like a surrogate uncle to Junior. They hada very close relationship.”
Carter remembers how Fitzgerald routinely brought his sons to Vikingsheadquarters on Fridays, when players would order in soul food.
“The kids would bring their bags and come home with me for the weekend,” Cartersaid.
Junior knew there was much to be absorbed from the window into the world of prosports. During a recent taping for a Hall of Fame podcast, Fitzgerald ripped off thenames of several Twins players – including Kirby Puckett, Dave Winfield, KentHrbek and Dan Gladden – who were influential. And, of course, the Vikingsconnection is more striking when considering the footprint Fitzgerald Jr. left onNFL history.
“It was very rare for us to see,” Carter recalled. “Typically, not a lot of ball boys areAfrican-American. A lot of people in those roles are family or friends of the scouts,
doctors and the equipment staff. Larry was very fortunate – and Marcus became aball boy before Larry – to have that kind of access.”
Special memories with Senior
It’s no wonder that in addition to his football exploits, Fitzgerald Jr. (a CollegeFootball Hall of Famer who starred at Pitt) has made inroads in the sportingindustry beyond the playing field. Among other ventures, he holds a minorityownership stake in the NBA Phoenix Suns and during the NFL meetings in Marchwas introduced as an investment partner in a flag football league being developedby the NFL.
That, too, undoubtedly has dots that connect to The Original.
“It’s a great reflection on Larry Sr., to see the kind of person Larry Jr. is outside offootball,” Rich Desrosiers, Pro Football Hall of Fame spokesman, told USA TODAYSports. “He’s already an ambassador for the Hall. A lot of the traits that Larry hascome out of the house he grew up in.”
Richardson knows. He was with The Original in Chicago in 2004 as they celebratedthe NFL Draft in the father’s hometown, when Junior was selected third overall bythe Cardinals. The memory sticks.
“That’s the first time I saw Larry cry,” said Richardson, now a KBLA host in LosAngeles. “That was probably his happiest day. And it made it more special thatDennis (Green) chose Junior.”
Then there was the time, maybe halfway through Junior’s NFL career, when TheOriginal didn’t have contact with his son for an extended period, something like acouple weeks or so as I recall. Fitzgerald Jr., an avid traveler with a knack foradventure, was on a journey in South America.
As I gathered during multiple phone conversations with The Original during thisperiod, my pal’s nerves were working overtime, fearing the worst that could happen in a jungle.
Just as you might expect from a loving father…who will be immensely missed.