Three Former Pitt Greats Nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame
The initial Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 nominees were announced Wednesday and Pitt football boasts three representatives in the 128 modern-era player list.
Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, running back LeSean McCoy and offensive lineman Ruben Brown were named in the expansive list.
The 2026 class marks the first year that Fitzgerald and McCoy are eligible for the Hall of Fame.
Later this fall, the list will be narrowed to 25 semifinalists, then 15 finalists and eventually the final Hall of Fame selections.
Pitt has the fourth-most Pro Football Hall of Famers by college with 10. Darrelle Revis, Jimbo Covert, Mike Ditka, Chris Doleman, Tony Dorsett, Russ Grimm, Rickey Jackson, Dan Marino, Curtis Martin and Joe Schmidt are already enshrined.
Fitzgerald is one of the top headliners of this cycle after playing 17 NFL seasons, all with the Arizona Cardinals. He is second all time in both receiving yards (17,492) and receptions (1,432), along with sixth in receiving touchdowns (121).
During his pro career, Fitzgerald became an 11-time Pro Bowler, a First-Team All-Pro in 2008 and was the NFL receptions leader and touchdown leader on two separate occasions, respectively. He appeared in one Super Bowl (XLIII) and caught two touchdowns passes in a losing effort against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Fitzgerald spent two storied seasons at Pitt (2002-03). He still holds the program records for most career receiving touchdowns (34), single season touchdowns (22) and single season receiving yards (1,672).
His 22 touchdowns in 2003 led the NCAA as he went on the win the Biletnikoff Award Big East Offensive Player of the Year and was named a Unanimous All-American.
McCoy played 12 seasons in the NFL. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round and spent the first six years of his career with the organization. He compiled two 1,000-yard seasons with the Eagles and two more with the Buffalo Bills. He would end his career with back-to-back Super Bowl championships with the Kansas City Chiefs (LIV) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (LV).
During his career, McCoy was named a six-time Pro Bowler and was a two-time First-Team All-Pro. He led the league in rushing touchdowns in 2011 with 17 and rushing yards in 2013 with 1,607.
McCoy enjoyed an excellent two-year run at Pitt from 2007-08. He put together a career season in 2008 with 1,488 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns — tied for second-most in a single season in Pitt history. That season, he was named to the First-Team All-Big East and was a Second-Team All-American.
Brown, an offensive tackle, was a first-round pick in the 1995 NFL Draft to the Buffalo Bills, where he would spend the next nine years. During his time in Buffalo, he was nominated to eight Pro Bowls and was a four-time Second-Team All-Pro. Brown would finish his career in Chicago, where he would earn another Pro Bowl bid and was a key member of the 2006 Bears team that made a Super Bowl XLI appearance.
Brown was a four-year starter at Pitt from 1991-94. He was a three-time All-Big East selection and received First-Team All-American accolades as a senior.
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