50 greatest college football players this century, ranked

• Fred Biletnikoff Award (2003)
• Walter Camp Award (2003)
• Big East Offensive Player of the Year (2003)
• Unanimous All-American (2003)
• First-team All-Big East (2003)

Growing up in Minnesota as a ball boy for the Vikings, a young Larry Fitzgerald took tips from Chris Carter and Randy Moss while having a sideline view of one of the best passing offenses in the history of the game. A few years down the road, as a 6-foot-3, 210-pound 18-year-old, he put those tips to use as at Pittsburgh.

Fitzgerald’s coming out party came in the second game of his career against Texas A&M when he caught 10 passes for 103 yards. It was the first of four 100-plus yard receiving games in a freshman season in which he led the Big-East with 69 catches for 1,002 yards. After being one of the best receivers in the nation as a freshman, he returned for his sophomore season where he was not just the best receiver in the country but the best player.

As a sophomore, he caught 92 passes for 1,672 yards and an unbelievable 22 touchdowns. Fitzgerald finished second in Heisman voting to Oklahoma’s Jason White who led the Sooners to a National Title with a team full of NFL talent.

Bonus Facts: Fitzgerald was the first player in Pittsburgh history with back to back 1,000-yard seasons. He holds the record for receiving touchdowns with 34 and 100-yard games with 14. His number was retired by the school in 2013.