PHOENIX – Getting inducted into a team’s ring of honor means being forever enshrined among the greats. Leaving a mark on a franchise and seeing that reflected in its legacy is something every player strives for but only a few achieve.
In the case of Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, the induction was a no-brainer – a formality that will be finalized Sunday when the franchise icon has his No. 11 retired and his name added to the ring at halftime of the team’s game against the Denver Broncos at State Farm Stadium.
After being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, Fitzgerald will become the 20th name engraved in the Cardinals’ ring and the sixth player to have his number retired, joining Larry Wilson, Pat Tillman, Stan Mauldin, J.V. Cain and Marshall Goldberg.
Getting his flowers from the franchise Fitzgerald gave so much to is only fitting, but it also raises the question: Who else should be inducted into the Cardinals Ring of Honor? There are a number of worthy candidates, including Larry Centers, Jackie Smith, Luis Sharpe, Anquan Boldin, Bruce Arians and Patrick Peterson.
One of the most notable names is Smith, a tight end who spent 15 years with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he became the career leader in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns by a tight end. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994, making him the only Hall of Famer who played a significant portion of his career with the franchise that is not in the Cardinals Ring of Honor.
Smith, 86, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 10th round of the 1963 NFL Draft, was a five-time Pro Bowler and widely credited for revolutionizing the tight end position during his time with St. Louis. While there is no clear reason why Smith hasn’t been inducted, there has been speculation.
“I think from what I’ve read, Jackie Smith made some comments that didn’t go over well with (Arizona owner) Bill Bidwill,” said Kent Somers, a former Cardinals beat reporter and columnist for the Arizona Republic. “So you know that’s always been a glaring omission.”
Smith’s departure from the team was filled with friction. After retiring in late 1977, the Cardinals reached out to him about a potential return for the 1978 season. After he took a physical, the team said he failed it and that one more hit could paralyze him.
Smith publicly questioned whether owner Bill Bidwill fabricated the medical excuse to avoid paying him or bringing him back, leaving a permanently strained relationship between Smith and the front office. Soon after, legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry coaxed him out of retirement and he helped Dallas reach the Super Bowl in January of 1979 where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Smith said his continued exclusion from the Ring of Honor is out of his control.
“That’s not up to me to do something like that,” Smith said. “It’s up to the people who I work for and work with. The power is with them and not up to me, and it’s not up to me to comment on it or say anything about it.”
Along with Smith, another pass catcher who isn’t in the Ring of Honor is wide receiver Anquan Boldin, one of the best receivers in franchise history. Drafted by the Cardinals in 2003, Boldin spent seven years with the team, racking up 7,520 yards and 586 receptions, which rank fourth and second, respectively in franchise history. Although he played on other teams, his stint with Arizona was his best and helped him earn Hall of Fame consideration.
Boldin’s departure in 2009 was bitter and may have strained the relationship with the Bidwills. He was unhappy with his contract and wanted to be paid on par with Fitzgerald.
Somers believes the snub doesn’t bother Boldin, as he has committed his time to helping his community after he retired in 2017, saying his “life’s mission” was bigger than football.
Another name to consider is fullback Larry Centers, who spent nine seasons with Arizona and was instrumental in the Cardinals’ success in the 1990s. He had 827 career receptions for 6,797 yards and 28 TDs.
“One of the great receiving running backs of all time and (he) helped the Cardinals to that playoff berth in 1998,” Somers said. “I just don’t know how the Cardinals view him as a player.”
Some other names Somers mentioned are cornerback Patrick Peterson, coach Bruce Arians and offensive lineman Luis Sharpe.
Peterson played 10 seasons with Arizona, made first-team All-Pro three times and ended his career sixth in career interceptions in Cardinals’ history with 28. Some would argue that Peterson’s moment will come, considering he just retired in 2025, and he is expected to be the next player inducted after Fitzgerald.
Somers believes Arians should also get consideration after he coached the 2015 team to a 13-3 record and an NFC Championship appearance. Despite only a five-year tenure with the Cardinals, he helped turn around the organization, earning the most wins by a coach in franchise history with a 50-32-1 overall record.
“He was the coach for the best five-year period in franchise history just in terms of number of wins and Cardinals coaches, and averaged almost 10 wins a year,” Somers said. “(He) helped turn the organization around and went to an NFC title game.”
When it comes to the longest-tenured players in Cardinals’ history, the name that stands out is Sharpe, who was with the team for his entire 13-year career. He started all 189 games he played, which is the most by an offensive lineman in franchise history.
Dan Dierdorf is the only offensive linemen enshrined in the Cardinals Ring of Honor, but Sharpe certainly makes an argument that he should join him. He is often viewed as the best left tackle in franchise history with three Pro Bowl selections.
Although Sharpe had off-the-field struggles, his daughter Rebekah Sharpe said her father hoped to be included in the Ring of Honor before he died from heart failure in 2025 at the age of 65.
“It didn’t bother him that significantly, but you know he was very well aware,” she said. “I had mentioned the over two-decade battle with substance misuse, and it was a very public demise and notable downfall.”
Sharpe went through a well-documented rough stretch, but he sought help and rehabilitated himself. He and Rebekah were recently selected as ambassadors for the NFL’s Hall of Fame’s health initiative.
“The Cardinals Ring of Honor was not top of mind for him,” Rebekah said. “But I think that he really owned his recovery and got back into the community and was working with former teammates and other NFL players and, of course, the NFL Hall of Fame.”
While there are a number of people who might eventually be recognized in the Cardinals Ring of Honor, Sunday’s ceremony at State Farm Stadium cements Fitzgerald’s legacy as one of the greatest to play the game.
Drafted third overall by the Cardinals in 2004, Fitzgerald spent his entire 17-year career with the team, accumulating 1,432 receptions and 17,492 yards. Both marks are the most in Cardinals’ history and second most in NFL history behind only Jerry Rice.
Somers considers Fitzgerald a top-two player in franchise history.
“You’d have to put him right up there with Larry Wilson, the great safety,” Somers said. “I think those guys are whatever order you wanna put those two in, 1A and 1B.”
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