University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Former Pitt Star Larry Fitzgerald Named Pro Bowl MVP
2/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 10, 2009
Larry Fitzgerald put an exclamation point on his fabulous postseason by being named the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 Pro Bowl this past Sunday.
Fitzgerald, who starred at Pitt from 2002-03, had two touchdown catches, including a 46-yard score on a Hail Mary pass on the final play of the first half. He finished with five receptions for 81 yards to help the NFC to a 30-21 victory in Hawaii.
His two-yard touchdown on a fade route with 4:07 left to play provided the winning points.
"It was fun to get out here and have a good time with these guys," said Fitzgerald, who was making his third Pro Bowl appearance. "It's always a great event to be able to come out here and enjoy a great season with friends. It was an honor."
Fitzgerald's Pro Bowl production, combined with three playoff games and the Super Bowl, brought his postseason total to 35 receptions for 627 yards and nine touchdowns.
His performance over the past several weeks may have cemented his status as the finest receiver in the game.
Fitzgerald's stardom in the NFL is no surprise to those who saw him as a collegian at Pitt, where he was a unanimous All-American, the Walter Camp Player of the Year, Biletnikoff Award winner and the Heisman Trophy runner up. He caught a touchdown in an amazing 18 consecutive games to set an NCAA record, and set or tied four additional national marks, eight Big East records and 11 Pitt marks.
Fitzgerald was joined at the Pro Bowl by another former Panther, New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis, who was a Pitt standout from 2004-06. Revis was named to the Pro Bowl after completing only his second NFL season.
Revis played a variety of positions in Sunday's game, including left corner, right corner, nickelback and on special teams.
He also snatched his first Pro Bowl interception -- in typical highlight style -- when Giants QB Eli Manning tried to go deep to Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin.
"I saw Anquan Boldin just go deep, so I turned into him and looked up and saw the ball coming," Revis told NewYorkJets.com. "It was in the sun a little bit, so I stared into the sun real good and saw the ball well. There wasn't that much contact between me and him. I just turned my body and tried to one-hand it. It was a good play on my part showcasing my talent and my abilities."
Revis was a two-time first-team All-Big East selection at Pitt. Despite opposing offenses throwing away from him the vast majority of the time during his final season, he scored three touchdowns, including two on interception returns and one on a thrilling 73-yard punt return against West Virginia. His punt return was selected the 2006 "College Football Play of the Year" by ESPN.
