NEW YORK – The fact that Panther wideout Larry Fitzgerald left New York City without the… NEW YORK – The fact that Panther wideout Larry Fitzgerald left New York City without the Heisman Trophy does not mean he returned to Pittsburgh with hands empty.

He left the Yale Club as the only sophomore to win three out of the six voting regions and left with the satisfaction of just being there to enjoy the moment. As Michigan running back Chris Perry said, it was just great to be in New York.

“I knew I wasn’t going to [win], so I was just happy [to be there]. I’m enjoying myself,” Perry said, adding, with a smile, “I’m in New York!”

Perry also spoke highly of Fitzgerald, as did the other two candidates, including the winner, Jason White, quarterback of Oklahoma, who, when the envelope was being torn open, thought Fitzgerald was going to win.

“I thought Larry was going to win it,” White said. “I think he’s an outstanding athlete.”

White was not the only one to think Fitzgerald is an outstanding athlete; many Heisman voters felt Fitzgerald was deserving of college football’s greatest individual award.

Fitzgerald received 253 first-place votes, 233 second-place votes and 128 third-place votes. He finished with a total of 1,353 points, just 128 points shy of White.

Fitzgerald won the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest regions, and came in second in the Southwest and the Far West regions.

“When I saw [the total scores] on the screen, I said ‘Man, I was pretty close,'” Fitzgerald said, smiling.

Where Fitzgerald essentially lost the Heisman was in the South region, which consists of the states Kentucky, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. In this particular region, he came in third place, behind White and Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning.

Questions were brought up regarding how the votes were collected and how the voters themselves voted for the Heisman winner, but Fitzgerald responded by saying, “Voters are going to vote for who they want to vote [for], and that’s their liberty.”

Those questions brought up dealt with the fact that 44 percent of the votes came in week three of voting, which was after Pitt lost to Miami, but before Oklahoma lost to Kansas State in the Big 12 Championship. Fitzgerald received the most points of all the candidates in the final week of voting, which was the week following Oklahoma’s loss.

Steering clear of all the media’s questions about who is really the most outstanding player in college football, Fitzgerald said it was just an honor to be in New York.

Also, when asked what he felt he has done for Pitt, he responded with, “I don’t look at it that way. I look at it more of what Pitt has done for me. [Pitt has] elevated me as a player and a person. I’ve been around tremendous people at this University.”

As for the question of Fitzgerald being around for a run at the 70th Heisman Trophy, he still does not know, saying he is not certain what the future holds for him, but one could assume he is good for a touchdown or two, whether it be at college or in the pros.