Larry Fitzgerald joined the Hall of Fame team, but he never left his old one behind

CANTON, Ohio — The first step of any enshrinement or induction starts with a team photo, capturing the moment for historical purposes. On an overcast Midwest morning, nearly 24 hours before the official event, Larry Fitzgerald joined more than 100 of his new fraternity brothers on the steps of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A photographer tried to get everyone in place. No easy task. Jerome Bettis needed to be closer to the front. Michael Irvin was late. On his way to his front-row seat, Fitzgerald passed a familiar face with a gray beard. It was Emmitt Smith, the game’s career rushing leader and his former teammate.

Smith spent the last two seasons of his illustrious career with the Arizona Cardinals, the second of which was Fitzgerald’s first. Smith loved that time in the desert because it gave him a chance to be around hungry, young players one last time. He tried to set an example of what it was like to be a pro. He invited Fitzgerald and others over for Thanksgiving dinner and explained to Fitzgerald why he wore a suit to the stadium on game days — it was a business trip.

A topic at this weekend celebration was longevity, not just within the league, but with one organization. Among the game’s great receivers, Fitzgerald spent all 17 of his NFL seasons with the Cardinals, no one’s idea of easy living.

A day earlier, Smith had sat in the lobby of a downtown hotel. In a conversation with The Athletic, he said he had been raised to finish what he started, no matter what it was. Twice in his football career, Smith had failed to accomplish this goal. The first was at the University of Florida, where Smith played three seasons with the Gators, from 1987 to 1989, before entering the NFL Draft. That was his decision.

“The second was when I was released by the (Dallas) Cowboys,” Smith said. “That wasn’t because I wanted it. It was because it was the right thing to do for the Cowboys in the future, so they decided to redirect.”

Loyalty — “it takes two to tango,” Fitzgerald said — is an endangered quality in sports, but it’s still on display here. As Smith talked in the hotel bar, former safety LeRoy Butler came over to chat. He spent all 12 of his NFL years with the Green Bay Packers. Former linebacker Lawrence Taylor also visited. He spent all 13 of his years with the New York Giants. After Taylor left, Smith spotted former defensive lineman Joe Greene, who was on the coaching staff during his Arizona days. Mean Joe was with the Pittsburgh Steelers for his entire playing career.

So when Smith was asked what it meant that Fitzgerald stayed with the Cardinals, an organization that went to the playoffs four times over those 17 years, losing to the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII, he repeated the same code in which he tried to live: “It means he was taught and trained to finish what he starts,” he said.

The strongest bond in sports is among teammates. The second strongest connects player to a community, and if enough time passes, it’s a relationship that can last just as long as the one that stems from the locker room. That explains the fashion choices of many visitors walking around the Hall of Fame Village — the NFL jerseys of Fitzgerald, as well as fellow inductees quarterback Drew Brees (15 of his 20 years spent with the New Orleans Saints) and linebacker Luke Kuechly (all eight spent with the Carolina Panthers.) Those wearing them came to honor the player, as well as the bond. That’s the cool part of sports. It branches in many directions.

Former receiver Lynn Swann, sitting in the same hotel lobby as Smith, spent all nine of his NFL seasons in Pittsburgh. In a brief conversation, Swann said times have changed. Players today can switch teams more easily than those in Fitzgerald’s era, and those in Fitzgerald’s era could switch more easily than those in his. Still, staying in one place requires a certain comfort level, Swann said. And not just with the city.

“It’s not a source of pride that I did it all in one place,” he said, “it’s a source of pride that I did it with the people I was with.”

That might be what’s so impressive about Fitzgerald. At the photo shoot, Irvin, fashionably late, made his arrival known. “I’m here!” he shouted, forcing his way into the back row, nearly losing his balance as he moved up. Like Fitzgerald, Irvin had spent all his NFL years with one team, 12 with the Cowboys. But here’s where the receivers differ: According to Stathead, nearly 84 percent of Irvin’s 11,904 receiving yards came from one quarterback, Troy Aikman. Fitzgerald’s 17,492 receiving yards (second in NFL history) spread over 22 quarterbacks, none accounting for more than Kurt Warner’s 26.2 percent. For many Arizona seasons, Fitzgerald was the constant. His excellence survived shifting parts and disappointing dips.

A few hours after the team photo, Harry Carson finished an autograph session. Asked about Fitzgerald spending his entire career with the Cardinals, the former linebacker said he understands. He was a New York Giant on his first day in the NFL; he was a Giant on his last, and he remains one to this day. The same will happen for Fitzgerald.

“I hate to put it like this, but he’s going to live as an Arizona Cardinal, and when he has his last breath, he’ll go down as, not just as a player that bounced all over the place, but as an Arizona Cardinal,” Carson said.

During a recent conversation with The Athletic, Fitzgerald considered NBA stars bouncing from city to city. He wondered where they would be placed in retirement. Where do they belong? He admitted his time in Arizona wasn’t always easy. He compared it to a marriage. Highs and lows. Growth from both sides. Late in his career, Fitzgerald said he considered leaving, signing with a team that had greater postseason chances. He even had conversations about it. But chasing a championship never felt right.

“I never seriously tried to put it in motion,” Fitzgerald said. “I loved where I was at and, quite frankly, I don’t know if it would have meant the same for me if I went someplace that was already some super team, and I was just a part of that super team that already existed. There would be a cheapness that I would feel about it, personally.”

On Saturday, Fitzgerald, wearing the gold jacket he had received the night before, was first to give his speech on the Hall of Fame stage. Over 14 minutes, he thanked Cris Carter and Randy Moss for giving him time when he was a ball boy with the Minnesota Vikings. He thanked Smith for showing him the way as an NFL rookie. He also thanked the Cardinals, the ownership and the fans.

“It’s been 22 years and counting, Arizona,” the 42-year-old Fitzgerald said, “and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to replenish the well of goodwill I’ve been lucky enough to drink from.”

Fitzgerald on Saturday joined a new team, one that will live forever. He did not leave his old one behind.