Larry Fitzgerald's college career redefined what a wide receiver could look like - ESPN

Every superhero story features three acts. In the first, the hero discovers their powers. In the third, they wield those powers to save the world. But it's often the second act that's the most fun. That's where the hero struggles to comprehend their abilities and runs into a few walls — or some foolish Heisman Trophy voters — before ultimately finding their footing and emerging triumphant, ready for battle.

Larry Fitzgerald is not, technically, a superhero, but there were so many awe-inspiring moments during his 17-year NFL career — a career for which he'll be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (noon ET on ESPN) — that he certainly seemed like one. From the brute strength he used to wrestle balls away from DBs to his uncanny ability to contort his body in ways that baffled defenders to the countless moments in which he lifted a team on his back, Fitzgerald was unlike any receiver the NFL had seen before.

But before Canton, he had to master his art form. For two years at Pitt, he crafted his game, and in the process, he earned the respect of numerous future NFL stars, set receiving records, nearly won a Heisman and gave the world its first glimpse of a legend in the making.

Ahead of Fitzgerald's enshrinement, ESPN spoke to more than 20 teammates, coaches and opponents who witnessed his rise from a raw prospect out of Minnesota, where his father was a sportswriter and he worked as a Minnesota Vikings ball boy, to one of the greatest ever to play the game. This is Fitzgerald's second act, a college career that redefined what a wide receiver could look like.

Larry Fitzgerald: I kind of fell into their lap.

Bryan Deal, Pitt assistant, 1999-2005: I'd befriended this guy named Ed Cole, who was Larry's receivers