With the first pick, San Diego selects...?
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 4/23/2004

 All of sudden I’ve become Larry Sr. instead of just Larry Fitzgerald. As I’ve told friends and family, please call me Larry (The Original) — that works for me.

 My son Larry Jr., the record-setting wide receiver from the University of Pittsburgh, has made my family and me very proud. Larry is a Consensus All-American; the Walter Camp, Columbus Touchdown Club, Big East Conference and ECAC Player of the Year; and a Biletnikoff Award winner.

 Through his accomplishments on and off the field, he has put me in a unique position that is nothing short of incredible. Larry is the product of a strong family, and he has protected himself by learning to stay away from trouble.

 My wife Carol and I gave our sons love and support and taught them to be respectful of others. Larry has never forgotten what I told him at and early age: to never be a follower, that he’s a leader.

 As a veteran journalist, columnist, talk show host, producer, sports editor, and commentator for 26 years, this has been a dream come true for me.

 It has also been a nightmare. On April 10 a year ago, I lost the most important person in my life to cancer - Carol, my wife of 24 and a half years.

 My wife was my best friend. She bought into my plan many years ago, and we worked it together; what a life we shared. That plan was that we would start our family in the Twin Cities and make every effort as parents to build a strong family foundation.

 If we had a problem, we had to trust each other, and by communicating with each other we could solve it. And above all, we would not let anyone else, even other family, interfere with what we decided on.

 Nothing that we have done — Larry Jr., my youngest son Marcus now at Marshall University, or myself — could have been achieved without her. That is the most difficult part of being in this position in the spotlight; the person who energized our family and helped mold Larry Jr. and guide him on the right path is gone.

 Our son is one of the most amazing athletes to come along in the last 25 years, and because we have been so blessed, he has absorbed so much in a short time from so many. 

 My life has changed. I’ve lost 47 pounds, and even with the success of my sons, I would not say for the better. It has changed having lost Carol. I could not focus on my business this year because my focus has been totally in support of helping my son in pursuit of his dream to play in the NFL. I won’t cover the Vikings NFL Draft again this year.

 Larry being in this draft in the first place was the result of great teamwork and the relationships built over the years with NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Players Association President Gene Upshaw.

 My attorney, Ann Viitala of Minneapolis, and I proved what we knew already, that Larry Jr. had met the spirit of the league’s rule as it pertained to underclassmen. And the league agreed we were right and ruled that he was eligible for the 2004 Draft back in February.

 Then Larry Jr. and I agreed that he was ready to pursue his dream; that’s when he announced he was ready to pursue it.

 That network of relationships I’ve been blessed to develop and the credibility I have with many of them has contributed to our ability to make tough decisions.

 Going through the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana, the banquet circuit with Larry getting all the awards and accolades, his Pro Day workout, the pressure that goes with managing and supporting yet trying to do what’s best for your son - all this has been overwhelming.

 I have no doubt that Larry is ready and prepared for the NFL. He knows what he has to do. And he has the ability and the understanding of knowing that he can get answers to his questions.

 When he gets drafted Saturday, we pray he’ll go to a team that wants him and wants to win. Hopefully he’ll be drafted by a team that understands Larry is there to help them win.

 I’ve monitored more about what’s been written and said than ever before going into a draft, because being on the inside as a journalist, I’ve been able to identify what’s fact and what’s fiction.

 I love the NFL and what I do; I’m excited to be in this unique position, because it’s gratifying to know that I’ve played a role in helping my son understand what the bottom line is. And that is that you have to produce to be successful. Sometimes you get lucky and get what you deserve, and as we learned after going through the Heisman experience, sometimes you don’t.

 I’m excited about the future, because the future is bright. And just like watching Larry in grade school, high school, prep school and college, I know he will do his best. I’m convinced that Larry will be great in the NFL, because he is still getting better. He is dedicated and puts in the work that’s required on and off the field.

 That’s why, as his father, I’m so proud of him.