Pitt Legend serves as honorary captain for his bobblehead night

When a stadium issues your bobblehead, it only makes sense to name that player an honorary captain.

Pat Narduzzi announced that Larry Fitzgerald will serve as an honorary captain when No. 19 Pitt takes on Syracuse on Thursday night under the lights at Acrisure Stadium. The first 7,000 fans to enter the stadium will receive a Larry Fitzgerald bobblehead.

Fitzgerald will be honored during the game for his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Today's honorary captain is @LarryFitzgerald!!
-His number 1 is retired
-2002 Big East Rookie of the Year
-Big East Offensive Player of the Year 2003
-Twice All Big East
-2003 Unanimous All-American
-Winner of the 2003 Biletnikoff Prize and the Walter Camp Prize
-Second place in… pic.twitter.com/r3WlV8OTb1

— Pat Narduzzi (@CoachDuzzPittFB) October 24, 2024

Fitzgerald only spent two seasons at Pitt, but he left an impact that cannot and will not soon be forgotten. And that influence continues to this day.

In those two seasons at Pitt from 2002 to 2003, he recorded 161 receptions for 2,677 yards and 34 touchdowns. His sophomore season (92 receptions for 1,672 yards and 22 touchdowns) earned him a runner-up Heisman finish.

Fitzgerald was perhaps the best player in college football during the 2003 season, when he won the Biletnikoff Award, the Walter Camp Award and the Big East Offensive Player of the Year award and was unanimously named an All-American. And there's a legitimate argument that he should have won the Heisman Trophy, too.

His dominance translated to the NFL after he was selected with the third overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. Despite a career in which he played with a number of quarterbacks, Fitzgerald will be considered one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history.

In 17 seasons, all with the Cardinals, he recorded 1,432 receptions (second all-time) for 17,492 yards (second all-time) and 121 touchdowns (sixth all-time). And he added 57 receptions for 942 yards and 10 touchdowns in the postseason — including one of the greatest single postseasons in 2008.

Fitzgerald is the Panthers' sixth honorary captain this season, joining former offensive lineman Jason Pinkston, former long snapper Cal Adomitis, former offensive lineman Mike McGlynn, former tight end JP Holtz and former linebacker Clint Session.

There are just a few hours until kickoff at 7:30 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium, and Pitt has become a 6-point favorite against 'Cuse. Both teams have a bye week before the start of the second half of the season.