The Arizona Cardinals will be retiring Larry Fitzgerald’s number 11 on October 25 according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN on Monday. The ceremony will take place at halftime during the game between the Cardinals and Denver Broncos. Fitzgerald played 17 seasons with the Cardinals as a wide receiver from 2004 to 2020.
Fitzgerald is the sixth Cardinals player in franchise history to have his number retired. Ther other five Cardinals who have been honoured in the past have been safety Larry Wilson of Rigby, Idaho (number eight in 1970), safety Pat Tillman of Fremont, California (number 40 in 2004), offensive tackle Stan Mauldin of Amarillo, Texas (number 77 in 1948), tight end J.V. Cain of Houston, Texas (number 88 in 1979), and halfback Marshall Goldberg of Elkins, West Virginia (number 99 in 1948). The honoured numbers in the Cardinals organization also includes players who played in Chicago up until 1959 and players who played in St. Louis from 1960 to 1987.
Mauldin and Tillman were honoured as they died at a young age. Mauldin died of a heart attack at the age of 27 following a game between the Chicago Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles on September 24, 1948. Tillman died of friendly fire at the age of 27 during the war in Afghanistan.
Fitzgerald played 263 games with the Cardinals. He had 1432 catches for 17492 receiving yards and 121 touchdown catches (Cardinals franchise leader in all three of the aforementioned categories). An 11-time Pro Bowler, Fitzgerald led the NFL in receptions (103 in 2005 and 107 in 2016), and touchdown catches (12 in 2008 and 13 in 2009). In 2026, Fitzgerald was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
