CHICAGO -- Larry Fitzgerald Jr. didn't attend Minnesota, but he's doing a lot to help the Gophers.

So said Tim Brewster, who used the forum of Big Ten media days to offer a public thank you to the Arizona Cardinals' wide receiver.

"For the past three years, he has run Camp Fitzgerald at the University of Minnesota," said Brewster, the Gophers' head coach. The invitation-only workouts mean "30 to 40 of the best players on the National Footbal League have trained on our campus."

Last month, Fitzgerald, a Minneapolis native who was a Heisman Trophy runner-up at Pittsburgh, brought such NFL players as Green Bay's Jermichael Finley, St. Louis' James Laurinaitis and Vikings quarterback Tavaris Jackson to campus for three weeks of intense workouts. In addition, NFL stars like Michael Irvin and Jerry Rice have attended to help coach the players.

"It's been an amazing thing for our players, our coaches, everybody to interact with these players," Brewster said.