Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald recalls his days in military school,
The poster boy used to be a punk. “It’s true, I was,” Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said.
Long before he became one of the top receivers in NFL history, stringing together 11 Pro Bowl appearances and settling multiple records, Fitzgerald was a troubled teen with bad grades, sloppy habits and a poor attitude.
It was the fall of 2001 and while Pat Tillman was contemplating walking away from the Cardinals and the NFL to join the U.S. Army, which he would do the following spring, Fitzgerald begrudgingly got shipped from his hometown of Minneapolis to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania.
His shoddy schoolwork prevented him from playing college football as a freshman because he didn’t meet NCAA academic requirements. Former longtime Vikings defensive end Chris Doleman, a family friend, recommended Valley Forge to Fitzgerald’s parents, Larry Sr. and Carol, and they took his advice.
“I hated it. I mean, like literally hated it every single day I was there,” Fitzgerald told The Republic during a phone interview on Monday. “But there’s no way I would be sitting here talking to you today if I hadn’t gone there. I went in there being a young, immature kid and I left as a man.
“I had never left home before, and it wasn’t like I was going down the street. I was moving halfway across the country. And it was in the most disciplined, regimented situation you could ever imagine. I remember the first night in
there crying myself to sleep like a baby.”
But during his stay at the private prep school, Fitzgerald learned a lot about himself. He found out he was more resilient, tougher, competitive and had a stronger mental fortitude than he thought. The strict military aspect of the institution also taught him self-reliance, the code of honor and proper preparation and study habits.
“I was able to get my grades together and most importantly, be able to get some much-needed discipline,” Fitzger
ald recalled. “It really helped me to be able to prioritize my time and have better time management to keep my room cleaned and just be able to be much more punctual so that when I went to college, I could hit the ground running.
“I can’t tell you how thankful I am for my Valley Forge Military Academy experience. … There’s no way I’d be here if I hadn’t gone there.”
That’s where Fitzgerald’s love and longtime appreciation for military service first began and through 17 NFL seasons, his loyalty has never wavered.
It’s a big reason why, on the eve of Veterans Day, he is joining forces with USAA as part of the NFL’s Salute to Service Virtual Lounge on Tuesday night.
Fitzgerald will participate in an exclusive chalk talk for military members, veterans and their families during the event, which takes place at 7 p.m. (Arizona time) via the website SaluteToService.com.
It’s one of five such events featuring NFL stars scheduled to take place this season and Fitzgerald, who has three family members presently serving in the military, is honored to help.
“It gives me and my fellow NFL players a way to honor some of these unbelievable service men and women from all around the world,” he said, adding, “I’m just so thankful we can be a part of the history of this country and the people who serve so valiantly.”
As much reverence as Fitzgerald still has for the military academy that shaped his life, the thought of going AWOL as a 17-year-old did enter his mind.
“Absolutely,” he said with a laugh. “That thought crossed my mind all the time. But being so far away from home, I’m going to jump the fence and go where? I didn’t know anybody. I would just be going door to door and that probably wouldn’t have served me very well.
“No, I’m so glad I went there. What it teaches you, the camaraderie, the brotherhood, all those things that you learn being in the military experience, they’re things that last a lifetime. Like I told you before, if it wasn’t for that experience, there’s no way I’d be sitting here talking to you right now.”