Featured Fanpost: Fitz Number Retired?

by Jaranosh on Aug 28, 2025 6:00 AM EDT

Friend of the site Jaranosh comments in a Fanpost about retiring Larry Fitzgerald's number at Pitt. What do you think?

At what point do we start talking abut retiring number "1"? I know his career numbers are diminished due to his early leave. But he SHOULD have won the Heisman, was a class act and continues to be an Ambassador for the University of Pittsburgh. In today's NCAA/NFL, it will be rare for someone to put up Marino/Dorsett type numbers. Just thinkingout loud. I do not ever remember hearing this topic debated, maybe it is time.

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Personally

I’ve always felt that for a two-year guy to have his number retired would probably be the wrong way to go – unless he did something really spectacular like win a Heisman or a National Championship.

That said, I get your point. He’s been the greatest wide receiver in school history and had one of the best years for that position of all time. And if/when Fitz gets into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the argument will be easier to make. So if his number gets retired, trust me, I’ve got no beef.

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by CardiacHill on Aug 26, 2025 8:36 PM EDT reply actions

I'd prefer

That they use the number 1 sort of like Syracyse does with 44 – Give it to the top playmaker on offense before each season.

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by PittScript Bryan on Aug 27, 2025 6:51 AM EDT reply actions

Fitz

If he won the Heisman I’d say yes. But only 2 years without BCS appearances I say no. Best college receiver of all time though. I’d be ok either way

by TonyC32 on Aug 27, 2025 2:33 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

No More

I can see the arguement that he only played two seasons. But I guess we are saying that there essentially will never be another number retired.

With today’s big money in the NFL, what player worthy of enshrinement will give up their draft status to play 4 years at Pitt? I wouldn’t, would you? Perhaps we will get ourPeyton Manning or Andrew Luck someday that stuck around because they did not need the money. I doubt it though, this is the reality of today.

Consider Fitz’s contributions off the field with his charities as well. He is the reason my son was rooting for Arizona over Pittsburgh a few years back. We need to ask ourselves what is worthy.

He would say he is not worthy. There is an NFL coach in Jacksonville contributing to charity for every touchdown they score and hand the ball to the offiicial, emulating Larry. He belongs!

by Jaranosh on Aug 27, 2025 9:16 PM EDT reply actions

Two years

Yeah, if you really ask me to expand on why two years is not enough, I couldn’t, really. My only answer is that in a sport where 99% of players play for at least three, it’s hard for me to give a player that honor when he only stuck around for two.

Remember, we’re not necessarily talking about the best players that have their jerseys retired. It means more than that. It’s for someone who really is iconic. And I guess that’s where you’re coming from a bit with the charity stuff and the fact that he’s such a great guy.

I also wouldn’t say that Pitt would never have another athlete that had his number retired. If Fitz had stuck around for three years, I think that’s enough. I’m not sure if the school has a rule for only four-year players having their number retired, but I’d be fine retiring the number of a three-year player. Two? I don’t know – just doesn’t seem right, as I said, unless it was a Heisman winner or someone who led the team to a National Championship.

I get it – I really do. And like I said, if he had his number retired, it’d be fine with me. But I’d withhold that honor in this case.

Just me.

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by CardiacHill on Aug 27, 2025 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions

My thought is that Larry Fitzgerald was a great college football player.

But my tendency always runs away from honoring individual players. That hesitancy grows more significant when we’re talking about players that neither played four years or graduated. UNC’s basketball team has really specific rules about it, I think they are; 1] had to have played four years, 2] had to have been national player of the year, and 3] had to have been on a team that went to the Final Four.

For my two cents, retiring a number demands a commitment to the school above and beyond what you can normally request from a person, in addition to being good. All Larry Fitzgerald did was be awesome while wearing a Panther uniform, but he would have been awesome on any team he played for. Had he forgone the NFL money, and come back to Pitt (and graduated) he would have been an all time great. But I think it sets a terrible precedent to retire the number of a guy who only played two years.

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by jesse. on Aug 28, 2025 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions