Reasons to Root for Each Remaining Team to Win Super Bowl 50
Arizona Cardinals
If there’s one person who could persuade a nation to get behind him, it’s Larry Fitzgerald. There are great players on the field, and then there are great guys off the field, but few people can combine those two traits like the Cardinals’ wide receiver.
In his 12-year career, the nine-time Pro Bowler has recorded over 1,000 receptions, racked up over 13,000 yards, and is just two shy of becoming the 10th player to record 100 receiving touchdowns. The résumé is as good as it gets.
Before the 2011 season, he signed an eight-year contract worth $120 million. Before this season, he signed a new, much cheaper deal to open a lot of cap space, and in an effort to do what it takes to help his team win, he moved to inside receiver. He answered the challenge by catching a career-best 109 passes. Fitzgerald put the team on his back in the Divisional round, snagging eight passes for 176 yards, including the walk-off touchdown in overtime to punch the Cardinals’ ticket to the next round.
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Off the field, Fitzgerald was named the Cardinals’ Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2011, and was one of the three finalists for the NFL award that year. He has given new technology to Phoenix and Minneapolis area schools, taken mission trips to numerous countries, and has participated in USO tours. He established the “Carol Fitzgerald Memorial Fund” in honor of his late mother to bring HIV/AIDS and breast cancer awareness to underprivileged youths. That’s just a portion of his philanthropic résumé.
In short, Fitzgerald is a better person than he is a player, which is not easy to accomplish. A lot of players are said to “deserve” championships, but Fitzgerald truly does deserve to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
Next: Denver Broncos