The applause inside Dominick's Steakhouse at Scottsdale Quarter carried a little more meaning this year.
Supporters, community leaders, athletes, and longtime friends gathered for the final Fitz's Supper Club, celebrating 20 years of The Larry Fitzgerald Foundation and the remarkable impact it has made through youth education, breast cancer awareness, STEM initiatives, and community outreach.
The evening marked the end of the Foundation's signature fundraising event, but it also offered a rare opportunity to witness Larry with his three sons supporting their dad and to spend time with both Larry Fitzgerald and his son, Devin.
The timing couldn't have been more fitting.
This month, Larry enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame, cementing a career that inspired a generation of football fans. At the same time, Devin begins his freshman season at Notre Dame, carrying one of the sport's most recognizable last names while determined to build one of his own.
For Larry, however, the Hall of Fame isn't about individual accomplishment.
"It's a great achievement individually," Larry says. "But it's done collectively through a lot of other people. So I'll be happy to celebrate that this summer."
Those words say everything about the man Arizona has admired for nearly two decades.
Even during a night honoring his own Foundation, Larry's attention quickly turned to the people who helped shape him.
"I've carried my mom's license in my wallet ever since 2003," Larry says. "Wherever I'm at, I feel like she's with me everywhere. That's kind of my silent tribute to her. Whenever times are difficult or tough, I can look at her license and it brings me some inspiration."
Asked what she would tell him if she were here today, Larry smiles.
"I think she would tell me to shave, probably," he says with a laugh. "And to keep working hard. I think she'd be proud of the work we've done in the community, and I hope I can continue to push it and keep pushing my boys too."
For Devin, those values have always been part of growing up.
"I've been pulling up to these since I was young," he says of the Foundation's events. "What he's doing for the community is amazing. To bring all these people together and have these funds support causes like breast cancer and technology for underprivileged kids, I think it's awesome."
One Foundation moment stands out above the rest.
Earlier this year, the Carol Fitzgerald Breast Health Center was dedicated in honor of Larry's mother. Larry couldn't attend, so he asked Devin to step in.
"It was right after a football game," Devin recalls. "It was 12 o'clock at night on Friday, and my dad called me. He said, 'I need you to do something for me. I won't be able to make it. You've got to do the speech for me tomorrow.'"
Larry sent him the remarks that evening.
"I read over it a few times and got ready to do it the next morning," Devin says. "It was a really meaningful speech that he put together. It was awesome to do that in his place, knowing it was all because of him and the work he's done in this community."
While one chapter reaches its pinnacle, another is just beginning.
Following a standout career at Brophy College Preparatory, Devin now heads to Notre Dame, where he'll continue pursuing the dream he's had since childhood.
"Yeah, of course that's my dream," he says.
Still, he's careful to separate his path from his father's.
"It's cool having a great role model," Devin says. "But I'm just trying to make a name for myself."
His goals are straightforward.
"To have a great few years, build great relationships, be excellent on and off the field, be the best Devin I can be, and go win a championship."
Earlier this year, the late Larry Fitzgerald Sr. reflected on his son's Hall of Fame induction with unmistakable pride.
"Dreams do come true," he shared with sports anchor Cameron Cox in an exclusive interview. "I remember when he was just a small kid, sleeping with a football and telling me what he wanted to do. His mom and I did everything we could to help him along the way. He did the rest. He and God."
He also revealed what mattered most to him.
"When people talk about Larry, they talk about the person first," he said. "For his mother and me, character was so important."
Those words carry even greater significance today.
Earlier this summer, the Fitzgerald family lost Larry Fitzgerald Sr., a devoted father whose belief, guidance, and unwavering support helped shape one of football's greatest ambassadors.
And now, as Larry steps into Canton, he'll do so carrying his mother's driver's license in his wallet and the lessons of both parents in his heart.
And as Devin begins his journey at Notre Dame, he's carrying something, too.
Not the pressure of a famous last name.
The responsibility of living up to the values behind it.
That's a legacy no Hall of Fame can measure.