Cindy McCain, whose husband Sen. John McCain died last month, was made the honorary captain at the Arizona Cardinals season opener against the Washington Redskins on Sunday.
Standing alongside Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, McCain was present on the field at University of Phoenix Stadium for the pre-game coin toss. The Cardinals won that toss.
Sen. McCain, who represented Arizona, was a Cardinals fan and befriended Fitzgerald after they met in 2006 during Fitzgerald’s third season with the NFL franchise. Fitzgerald eulogized McCain at the late senator’s funeral service in Phoenix last month after he died of brain cancer at the age of 81. Speaking of their “unlikely” friendship, Fitzgerald remembered how McCain “celebrated differences” and “championed humanity.”
.@LarryFitzgerald greets Cindy McCain at today’s game.
The McCain Institute is in the arena, where Senator McCain’s values and legacy are being championed.
To learn more and get involved, visit https://t.co/WKD8W9TPU8 #InTheArena pic.twitter.com/BRy3Ps7QW8— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 9, 2018
McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam who later became one of the most high-profile politicians in the country, also received tributes from former Presidents George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama in Washington, D.C., before he was buried at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., last week.
In a tweet, the Cardinals announced that Cindy McCain was their honorary captain and tagged the McCain Institute for International Leadership, which it said “is in the arena, where Senator McCain’s values and legacy are being championed.”
Our honorary captain, Cindy McCain, at the coin toss for #WASvsAZ.
The @McCainInstitute is in the arena, where Senator McCain’s values and legacy are being championed.
To learn more and get involved, visit https://t.co/WKD8W9TPU8 #InTheArena pic.twitter.com/9wG66T9iJf
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 9, 2018
In an op-ed published in USA Today on Friday, Cindy McCain called urged people to “fight for a greater cause” and join the think tank which, according to its website, is “dedicated to advancing character-driven global leadership based on security, economic opportunity, freedom and human dignity
“Thank you to @LarryFitzgerald and @AZCardinals for your warm welcome and touching tribute to John,” Cindy McCain tweeted late Sunday afternoon. “Support for our family has been overwhelming. We’re going to keep fighting for the America John believed in everyday with the @McCainInstitute and hope you will join us #InTheArena.”
Thank you to @LarryFitzgerald and @AZCardinals for your warm welcome and touching tribute to John. Support for our family has been overwhelming. We’re going to keep fighting for the America John believed in everyday with the @McCainInstitute and hope you will join us #InTheArena
— Cindy McCain (@cindymccain) September 9, 2018
