Fitzgerald's dreams come true

On a balmy August afternoon in 2002, a humble wide receiver from Minneapolis stood with his head high and his eyes staring squarely at his inquisitor.

"I used to wash cars for the Minnesota Vikings," said Larry Fitzgerald Jr., who was giving his first interview as a Pitt football player. "One day, I'd like to be good enough to get my car washed."

Car• How about cars• Fancy cars. Big shiny cars, the ones with the bling-bling hood ornaments. Or how about an SUV or two?

These days, Fitzgerald can own just about any driving machine he wants. He could even come up with a healthy downpayment for a private jet. The sky, after all, seems to be the limit for the former Pitt great.

The record-breaking wideout was the third overall pick in the NFL draft Saturday by the Arizona Cardinals, a franchise that has selected a pass catcher in the first or second round the past three years. Fitzgerald will ink a signing bonus of upwards of $10 million, to go with a multi-million-dollar contract, as he looks to elevate a Cardinals team that's been to the playoffs just once in 15 years.

"This," Fitzgerald said, "is a dream come true."

Fitzgerald gets to reunite with Arizona coach and close family friend Dennis Green, who said seven years earlier that Fitzgerald was ready for the NFL as a high schooler. Fitzgerald was a ballboy for Green when the latter coached the Minnesota Vikings.

"Coach Green is an outstanding human being, not to mention how great a football coach he is," said Fitzgerald, the first wide receiver in Pitt history to be taken in the first round, and the first Panthers player to go in the top round since offensive tackle Ruben Brown in 1995. "He treats me like my father treats me and I love that tough love he gives. I think I will be able to flourish in that system."

Fitzgerald, 20, will get every opportunity to do so. Green was the mastermind behind the virtually unstoppable Minnesota passing offenses that featured Cris Carter and Randy Moss several years back. He could have another dynamic duo in Fitzgerald, the Heisman Trophy runner-up last season as a sophomore, and Anquan Boldin, the 2003 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Fitzgerald, 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, set three NCAA records and tied another at Pitt, including consecutive games with a touchdown reception (18), combined touchdown catches as a freshman and sophomore (34), receiving yards as a sophomore (1,672) and most games with a touchdown reception in a season, tying Moss with 12. Boldin hauled in 101 passes as a rookie last season for 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns.

The potential for these pass-catchers could be limitless, particularly if third-year pro Josh McNown, who Green has named his starter, can get them the football.

"Anquan has definitely set the bar high for the Arizona receivers," said Fitzgerald, who joins former Pitt teammate Gerald Hayes and all-time NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith with the Cardinals. "I just want to come in and help to continue the productivity of the team and the offense."

Fitzgerald sealed his fate as a top-3 draft pick when he ran a sub-4.5 40-yard dash at Pitt's pro day in March. The NFL invited him to spend this weekend in New York City, which plays host to the draft, but he opted to stay in Chicago to be with family members.

The Fitzgerald family, along with Pitt coach Walt Harris and close friends, watched the event at the Chicago Hilton. Larry Fitzgerald Sr. said the family turned down the NFL's invitation to go to New York because Larry's grandparents, all of whom live in Chicago, are in poor health.

Fitzgerald Sr. said his father spent yesterday in a Chicago hospital due to hypertension, and his in-laws struggled through the day with "a number of difficulties."

The Fitzgerald's have placed a premium on maximizing every moment with family, particularly since Carol Fitzgerald, Larry's mother, died of cancer last year and could not be there for her son's big moment.

"I know she was watching down on me and guiding me," Larry Jr. said. "Not only me, but my brother and father as well. Her presence was felt today."

"The last time my wife saw Larry play was in Arizona two years ago, when Pitt won the Insight Bowl," the elder Fitzgerald said. "Now, his career begins in the same city where she saw his last game. I guess there's something to that. She would be loving this."

Additional Information:

They're No. 1

Pitt has had 11 first-round draft choices in the past 20 years. Here's a list.

Year Player, Pos. - Team (Overall pick)

1984 Bill Maas, NT - Kansas City (5)

1985 Chris Doleman, DE - Minnesota (4)

1985 Bill Fralic, OT - Atlanta (2)

1986 Bob Buczkowski, DT - L.A Raiders (24)

1987 Tony Woods, DE - Seattle (18)

1988 Craig Heyward, RB - New Orleans (24)

1989 Burt Grossman, DE - San Diego (8)

1989 Tom Ricketts, OT - Steelers (24)

1992 Sean Gilbert, DT - L.A. Rams (3)

1995 Ruben Brown, OT - Buffalo (14)

2004 Larry Fitzgerald, WR - Arizona (3)