Oct 24, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Former Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald reacts on the sideline against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at Acrisure Stadium. Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Larry Fitzgerald’s Career Stats vs. Notre Dame

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Nick Shepkowski | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 11:41 PM ET

Notre Dame landed another commitment for its 2026 recruiting class on Saturday night when Devin Fitzgerald of Phoenix (Brophy College Preparatory), Ariz. made his commitment to Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish official.

Of course, Devin is the son of legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who starred for the Pittsburgh Panthers before going on to a Hall of Fame worthy NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals.

Back when Larry was at Pittsburgh, though, the Panthers and Notre Dame were still playing annually. Fitzgerald starred at Pittsburgh in 2002 and 2003, playing against the Fighting Irish twice. So, how did one of the best to ever play the wide receiver position fare against Notre Dame?

Larry Fitzgerald's Career Stats vs. Notre Dame

Fitzgerald played once at Notre Dame Stadium in 2002 and then at the then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh in 2003. Notre Dame managed to win both games, and hold Fitzgerald well under his college career averages in both.

2002: Notre Dame 14, Pittsburgh 6 (South Bend, Ind.)

Fitzgerald: 7 receptions for 83 yards, 0 touchdowns

2003: Notre Dame 20, Pittsburgh 14 (Pittsburgh, Penn.)

Fitzgerald: 5 receptions for 79 yards, 2 touchdowns

This was also the Julius Jones game for Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish running back set a program record that still stands for most rushing yards in a single game as he rushed 24 times for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thought:

It's an exciting time for the Fitzgerald family and all that a senior year of high school can bring as well as committing to play major college football, so congratulations to all of them. As for Larry against Notre Dame, he averaged over 107 yards and more than one touchdown per game during his college career, so holding him to 162 yards in two games is quite impressive.

I know Oklahoma was the talk of college football as a team in 2003 until Kansas State blew it out in the Big 12 championship game that year, but how Jason White won the Heisman Trophy over Fitzgerald that year (1,672 yards, 22 touchdowns) still angers me.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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