It was a special day for Arizona Cardinals fans on Saturday, as legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He gave his acceptance speech after being presented by his son, Devin.
Watch the full speech below:
He thanked the Hall of Fame voters. He shouted out his two different high school coaches and expressed love for Minnesota. He recognized his time at Pitt.
He named everyone in the Bidwill family. He recognized his friendship with Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill and praised the late Bill Bidwill (Mr. B) for the quiet community work he did without looking for recognition.
He also thanked Michael for letting him and other teammates use his plane for golf tournaments.
He spoke about Dennis Green, who was
coach of the Minnesota Vikings when Fitzgerald was a ballboy and then his head coach when the Cardinals drafted him in 2004.
He thanked Cris Carter (Uncle Cris) for his support and mentorship. He said that his time around Hall of Fame Vikings when he was a ballboy.
He shouted out Randy Moss for all the help he received from him — gear, friendship, generosity and even using his car.
He named running back Emmitt Smith as one of two most influential early teammates. Smith was in his final season and played for the Cardinals during Fitzgerald's rookie year. Kurt Warner was the other teammate he thanked.
He acknowledged the other four head coaches on the Cardinals — Ken Whisenhunt, Bruce Arians, Steve Wilks and Kliff Kingsbury. Playing for Whisenhunt and Arians in his prime, Fitzgerald said it was the most fun he had.
He spoke about his parents and his brother, Marcus. He spoke to his sons and told them to "surround themselves with people who tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear."
He recognized everyone he could have. There wasn't a big extra message or theme. How fitting for the career he had and the way he carried himself in the league.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Larry Fitzgerald gives Hall of Fame acceptance speech
