This has been a weekend of honoring Larry Fitzgerald, as he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. He has been honored and venerated.
In his acceptance speech, he thanked just about everyone who impacted him in his life and his career.
Now, he has done a little extra for the fans. He took out a full-page ad in the Arizona Republic on Sunday thanking fans.
— Mark Dalton (@CardsMarkD) August 9, 2026
In it, he wrote:
People have asked me countless times what it felt like to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The truth is, it was one of the greatest honors of my life.
But this isn't really a Hall of Fame story.
It's a thank-you letter.
I arrived in Arizona as a 20-year-old kid who didn't know a single person. I had no idea this desert would
become the place that would shape me into the man I am today.
The day I landed was the same day the nation learned Pat Tillman had lost his life. Pat is one of America's great heroes.
I stepped off the plane into a state where its people were carrying real grief, and something inside me grew quiet. I staretd paying attention.
You learn quickly what loyalty looks like when it isn't just a word.
For the next 17 seasons, I quietly measured myself against the standard Pat Tillman set. I'm still not sure I ever lived up to it.
Somewhere along the way, Arizona stopped being the place where I lived and became the place I was from.
It happened through a thousand ordinary moments until one day, I realized this was simply home. Not because I was a Hall of Famer. Not because I was a wide receiver. Just because the people of this state allowed me to be Larry.
You don't fall in love with a place because of its stadiums. You fall in love on quiet mornings hiking Camelback Mountain.
On crisp fall afternoons walking a golf course. During summers in Flagstaff and standing among the red rocks of Sedona that remind you how small you are in the best way.
When I stopped playing football, I walked away quietly. I'm known for my Irish goodbyes. Arizona even gave me that. Yet you kept showing up for me anyway, especially through the work of my foundation. Your support was never conditional. You never asked me to be anything other than myself, and somehow that was always enough.
Arizona gave a kid from Minnesota something he didn't even know he was searching for.
Belonging.
And that sense of belonging changed me.
After a while, you weren't cheering for a wide receiver anymore, you were cheering for one of your own.
So this isn't really a story about 17 seasons in a Cardinals uniform or a bronze bust in Canton.
It's the story of a young man who was welcomed by a state that owed him nothing and gave him everything.
Thank you, Arizona.
Thank you for letting a kid from somewhere else become one of your own.
Thank you for embracing not just the player, but the man.
You gave me far more than a career. You gave me friendships that will last a lifetime. You gave me purpose beyond football.
You gave me a place where my children will always know they belong.
Most of all, you gave me a home.
With love and gratitude,
Larry Fitzgerald Jr., HoF 26
This might be the most touching tribute from any Arizona athlete to the state. It perfectly expresses why everyone in Arizona loves Fitzgerald. He is the most universally known and loved human in this state.
He knew how to act on and off the field. He has acted with grace and gratitude. He is a superstar and still speaks like he is lucky to be here.
The state of Arizona collectively says "you're welcome," but also "thank you."
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple Podcasts.
This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Larry Fitzgerald gives huge thank you to Arizona in full-page ad
