Cherished Teammate Reveals Why Larry Fitzgerald Became a Hall of Famer

The road ends in the Pro Football Hall of Fame for Larry Fitzgerald. It was inevitable, from Jerheme Urban's point of view.

Dec. 28, 2008; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver (85) Jerheme Urban celebrates with Larry Fitzgerald after scoring a second quarter touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There was no doubt in former Arizona Cardinals receiver Jerheme Urban’s mind that victorious confetti would sprinkle down like a mid-summer monsoon at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 1, 2009. 

In the shadow of one of the great plays in Super Bowl history, a toe tapper in the corner of the end zone by Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes regained the lead for the Steelers in the final minutes of regulation.  

Although revisionist history has distorted the collective memory, that was far from the final nail in the coffin for Super Bowl 43 — Arizona had one last say in deciding the fate of the night. 

Four points and a little under one minute was all that stood in the way of professional football’s ultimate prize, the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

There was no time for error — the Cardinals swiftly carved up the field, capitalizing on a Pittsburgh defense playing prevent with a pair of completions to reach midfield with 15 seconds left on the clock. It was going to take the only play with religious overtones to win the game — the “Hail Mary.”

The “Hail Mary” is one of those plays that no matter how many times an offense practices it, each results in a different outcome. No two “Hail Marys” are alike. All one can hope is that one of your guys catches it before a defender bats or intercepts the ball. 

But most offenses did not have Larry Fitzgerald on the football field. 

“Superman from the '08 playoffs was going to find a way to come in and save the day,” Urban said. 

Somehow, someway, Urban knew what was going to happen on the final play of the Super Bowl. In the season prior, in a menial divisional game against the San Francisco 49ers — three points separated the Cardinals from walking into the half with the lead. 

Evading the pressure in the middle of the field, quarterback Kurt Warner launched a rocket downfield to the end zone. Before the ball turned down from its crest, a corral of Cardinals and 49ers alike stuffed the box. 

Rising from the heavens, there he was — No. 11 — and Fitzgerald was not going to be denied on this play. 

But on this chilly February night in Tampa, this was merely a vision for Urban. There could only be so many acts of God on the grass that evening. Warner was stripped-sacked on his approach, as Pittsburgh quickly smothered the ball to effectively seal the game. 

“There's no doubt in my mind that if they didn't strip-sack (Kurt Warner), we win the Super Bowl,” Urban said. “(Warner) can throw it that far all day long. I'm convinced that we catch the football. No way to prove it, right?  But I'm convinced that we would have.” 

The Progression of Fitzgerald

Aug. 29, 2008; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback (13) Kurt Warner talks with wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald against the Denver Broncos at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By the end of his sophomore campaign, Fitzgerald led the NFL in receptions and was blossoming into one of the premier pass catchers. Still, there was a lot of growth to be had for Fitzgerald. Hall of Famers aren’t born; they are built. 

“You could see the talent with Larry, but I remember Kurt (Warner) and Todd (Haley) challenging him, saying, because he's like, ‘I'm good at what I do,' and they're like, ‘Yeah, but you don't want to just be known as a jump ball guy, right?'” Urban recalls. 

“From Kurt's standpoint, always pushing him to watch film of Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt, who he would repeatedly say, ‘You know you're not at their level. You're really good, but you're not at their level yet.’”

2007 was another great season for Fitzgerald, his second Pro Bowl nod and a return to form with a 1400-yard season, but that year was a pivotal turning point in his career. Haley challenged him to drop weight, and the push to understand not only his role but the entire offense heading into 2008. 

Urban was quick to note the influence Anquan Boldin had on the entire receiver room and on Fitzgerald especially. 

“Anquan, as a former quarterback, knew the big picture. … he understood how it was all supposed to work together,” Urban said. “I think that him being the professional that he is or was at that time, and having the career success that he was having also challenged Larry.”

A receiver can be good, executing their role and reeling in targets, but they can only become great when understanding the totality of the operation. In 2008, Fitzgerald evolved into a total package guy, starring in any role he was given, and growing into a different player on the field and in meetings. 

“That (2008) year, I thought he was a totally different guy in terms of questions he asked in the meetings, to the attention and detail in the field,” Urban said. 

Fitzgerald experienced the best season of his eventual Hall of Fame career, registering a best 1431-yard mark and an NFL-leading 12 touchdown receptions. In the playoffs, he added another 546 yards and seven touchdowns, breaking one of Urban’s former teammates' single playoff records in Jerry Rice. 

In just one of the many iconic plays of Super Bowl 43, Fitzgerald’s 64-yard touchdown catch and run was the culmination of everything that was forged in the offseason. The push to lose weight, become an elite post-catch threat, and what was thought of as routine work- simply finishing the play with a 30-yard and shoot up north in practice paid off on the biggest stage in American sports. 

“That play is made because of Todd Haley and Kurt Warner throughout the year pushing Larry to trim down, lose weight, get faster, become a better runner with the football,” Urban said. “Every time I see it, it’s very reminiscent of all those practice reps that Larry took seriously, of learning how to catch and get vertical fast.” 

Sure, Hall of Famers are made on the field, their triumphs written and taped for the historical record. But it's the moments behind closed doors, what their impact was with teammates and staff members, that truly make a Hall of Famer great. 

The life of an undrafted player, and the business of the NFL, coaches and general managers are always wanting to get a return on their investment. Urban knew this well, always fighting for his professional football life. During a regular season practice in 2009, he was pulled out of a play for Early Doucet, a third-round receiver drafted in 2008. 

It was a tough moment for Urban, having to trot to the sideline and wait for the inevitable – the tough conversation after practice with coaches that “we are going in a different direction.” 

“Larry was one of the first guys who came up and said, ‘Hey, are you doing alright?’ and I knew he was being a great teammate to Early too, going over there and telling him ‘this is your shot.’” Urban said.

Still, after all of these years, the Fitzgerald and Urban families still exchange Christmas cards, keeping that connection alive. 

The Unforgettable Larry Legend 

2015: Larry Fitzgerald's game-winning touchdown in overtime capped a wild finish in a 26-20 win for the Cardinals over the Packers. The Packers forced overtime when Aaron Rodgers completed a fourth-and-20 pass for 60 yards to Jeff Janis, and then a 41-yard Hail Mary to Janis with five seconds remaining for the tying touchdown. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Urban hasn’t played a professional snap in over a decade, returning to his alma mater, Trinity University, to begin his next football life – coaching. Urban was promoted as head coach in 2014. Since then, the Tigers have been one of the most consistent Division III programs. 

In a full circle moment to what Kurt Warner did for Fitzgerald, blowing off the dust from the old “Greatest Show of Turf” St. Louis Rams days as a learning aid. Like every old pro, Urban still holds onto old practice cuts from his Arizona days. 

Even now, once in a while, Urban brings out those old cut-ups of Fitzgerald and Boldin as teaching points for his players on how a practice should look, how to conduct yourself as a professional and how plays develop at the highest level of the game. 

“We use those films for high-level coaching,” Urban said. “It pulls them in; everybody wants to watch Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin run routes.” 

Fitzgerald was always a constant as the years rolled on, for Urban, now watching from afar. In January 2016, Jerheme witnessed one of the final great acts of his legendary teammates’ career at the family home in San Antonio. 

In overtime, quarterback Carson Palmer threw across his body, connecting with a wide-open Fitzgerald for a 75-yard reception to put Arizona on the five-yard line. Two plays later, Fitzgerald finished what he started, punching in a shovel pass to send the Cardinals back to the NFC title game. 

It goes back to everything that was forged in that crucial 2008 offseason, the continuation of the lessons learned when it started to click for Fitzgerald as proof of his evolution as a football player. 

“For me, I was proud of him for continuing to push to be the best,” Urban said. “He stayed the course. So many of us old has-beens are gone, and he’s still training and still doing everything that I wish I was still doing. … He’s already a Hall of Fame receiver at this point, but for him to do that meant he was still doing all of the little things.” 

It has been a long road for a Minnesota Vikings ball boy to be immortalized in professional football’s hallowed tomb of bronze. 

It was a road that saw the highest that can be achieved in the sport, then trudging through the lowest point that can be experienced. But Fitzgerald never wavered or lost sight of his purpose. 

“He truly worked and matured to the point where he put himself firmly in the Hall of Fame discussion, not just because he caught a lot of balls than had tackles and turnovers and drops,” Urban said. 

“There are a lot of guys who are extremely talented who are never talked about as Hall of Famers because they weren't quite the football player, in totality, and he really made himself into an incredible football player over those 17 years after he grew up and matured.”