He played at the end position for the 1920 Detroit Heralds during the first regular season of the NFL (then known as the American Professional Football Association).
[3] In 1910, Fitzgerald was living with his parents and five siblings at Charlevoix, Michigan, where his father was a laborer in a gravel pit.
The Heralds opened their season with a game against the Cleveland Panthers, played at Navin Field on October 10, 1920.
[4] On October 24, 1920, Fitzgerald appeared in the Heralds' game against the Columbus Panhandles as the team's starting left end.
Fitzgerald scored the only points of the game, as he intercepted a pass from Frank Nesser and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown.