Larry Fitzgerald Enters Hall of Fame After 1999 Vikings Ball Boy Stint

Larry Fitzgerald will be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this Saturday, a journey that began as a Minnesota Vikings ball boy for Randy Moss and Cris Carter.

Larry Fitzgerald’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this Saturday marks the culmination of a career heavily influenced by his three-year tenure as a Minnesota Vikings ball boy. During the 1999 training camp, Fitzgerald was initially hired to check media parking passes but was fired by head coach Dennis Green for breaking curfew. One week later, Green rehired the young man and assigned him to the wide receivers. This role placed Fitzgerald in direct proximity to future Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Randy Moss, who led the 1998 Vikings to a 15-1 regular-season record and an appearance in the NFC Championship prior to Super Bowl XXXIII.

Following his re-hiring, Fitzgerald’s dedication increased significantly after his father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., and his mother expressed their frustrations regarding his initial dismissal. Fitzgerald Sr. was a longtime beat reporter for the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder and maintained a close relationship with Coach Green. While serving as a ball boy, Fitzgerald observed the professional habits of elite athletes, noting that Cris Carter was consistently in bed by 9 p.m. during training camp. He also witnessed Randy Moss’s athleticism firsthand, recalling a moment when Moss dunked a basketball while wearing flip-flops during a pre-practice shootaround.

Mentorship from Carter and Moss

Fitzgerald’s education in the wide receiver position involved sitting in on position meetings where Cris Carter would decode Detroit Lions defensive signals, such as defenders banging their fists together to indicate a play check. Former Vikings receiver Matthew Hatchette noted that Fitzgerald asked advanced questions regarding hand placement and how to keep defenders on his backside while attacking the football. To refine his skills, Fitzgerald utilized the Jugs machine after practices and ran routes for quarterbacks like Daunte Culpepper and seventh-round pick Matthew Hatchette.

Cris Carter recallled Fitzgerald’s intense focus, describing him as a "student of information" with a deep, almost addictive interest in the lifestyle and mechanics of the position. However, the relationship was not without friction; Carter remembers Fitzgerald stealing change from the ashtray of his "tricked-out Denali" after taking it to a car wash. Despite this, Fitzgerald spent spring breaks training at Carter’s Florida home and remains close with Carter’s ex-wife, Melanie Morgan, whom he refers to as "Aunt Mel."

High School and College Production

The Vikings’ roster embraced Fitzgerald as "one of the crew," with players like Moss, Carter, Hatchette, and Culpepper attending his high school games on home weekends. Former tackle Korey Stringer once shouted at Fitzgerald from the stands during a practice, telling him to get into the middle of the huddle. This support system followed him to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania, where coach Mike Muscella watched Fitzgerald catch 100 balls both before and after every practice.

At the University of Pittsburgh, head coach Walt Harris made a rare exception by promising Fitzgerald he would start as a freshman. Although he did not start the season opener because he struggled with Harris’s terminology, Fitzgerald caught 10 passes for 103 yards in his second week. Harris noted that while Fitzgerald was a typical high school player regarding blitz adjustments, his ability once the ball was in the air was unparalleled, leading to his status as a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

The Arizona Cardinals and Dennis Green

In January 2002, the Vikings and Dennis Green parted ways. After two years as an analyst at ESPN, Green was hired as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. With the No. 3 overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Green selected Fitzgerald, the former ball boy he had fired five years earlier. Fitzgerald stated that if Green had not been the head coach, the Cardinals likely would not have drafted him at that spot. Green, who died in 2016 at age 67, knew Fitzgerald’s family background and how he handled the passing of his mother.

Fitzgerald credits his three years as a ball boy for his ability to avoid drugs, alcohol, and financial distractions. He utilized the knowledge of private chefs, acupuncturists, and chiropractors he observed in the Vikings' locker room to extend his own career. This Saturday, Cris Carter will deliver the introduction for Fitzgerald's enshrinement at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.