He credited running back Emmitt Smith, playing in the final season of his Hall of Fame career, aiding his rookie year in Arizona.
"I could talk to him, confide in him, rely on him," Fitzgerald said. "The one thing I couldn't do was beat him when we used to wrestle in the locker room. And he was old by then, too!"
And of course, he thanked quarterback Kurt Warner, who arrived in Fitzgerald's second season. Warner and wife Brenda essentially welcomed Fitzgerald into their family as the veteran QB tried to draw Fitzgerald's greatness out of him.
"He shaped me by the example he set through his faith, through his service to the community, as a teammate, a husband, a father… and his weird, insatiable love for spaghetti," Fitzgerald deadpanned.
"Kurt when you demanded that I elevate my preparation, consistency and accountability, you dragged me to the winner's circle."
It was eldest son Devin who presented his father, a touching tribute and a change after Fitzgerald's father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr., passed away earlier this year. Devin called his father "tough, fearless, electric, unstoppable." Fitzgerald was all of those things.
"In the brightest moments, the lights weren't too bright for him," Devin said.
The stats all were tangible proof of that. Second in the NFL all-time with 1,432 receptions and 17,492 receiving yards, Fitzgerald got in his zingers, telling close friend Cris Carter that it was he, not Carter, who had the best hands.
But he had advice, ostensibly for sons Devin, Apollo and Milos, but in reality words all should live by.
"One, it's not hard to find people who will tell you what you want to hear. Make a conscious effort to surround yourself with people who will tell you what you _need_ to hear," Fitzgerald said. "The hard things. The uncomfortable things. Believe me: the people in that second group care about you far more than those in the first.
"Two, life is short. Time is precious. And not one of us knows how much we have. So many of the people I mentioned today are no longer with us. Some gone much too soon. Make your time count. Fill every 24 hours with the passions and pursuits that mean the most to you."
Fitzgerald's mother, Carol, died of breast cancer just about a year before Fitzgerald reached the NFL. His father passing just before he went into the Hall of Fame just underscored the perspective Fitzgerald had long held.
That perspective is one of the reasons Fitzgerald wanted to stay with the same franchise and not leave Arizona. He is a forever Cardinal, and now, a forever legend among football's all-time greats.
"It's been 22 years and counting, Arizona," Fitzgerald said. "And I'll spend the rest of my life trying to replenish the well of goodwill I have been lucky enough to drink from."