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Former Dallas Cowboys center John Fitzgerald, two-time Super Bowl champion, has died at age 77.
The Cowboys team website announced his death Tuesday morning. No cause of death was given.
The Cowboys selected Fitzgerald in the fourth round out of Boston College after playing on both sides of the ball. He played both offensive guard and defensive tackle in college and was inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982.
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John Fitzgerald of the Dallas Cowboys stands on the field after Super Bowl X against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Miami, Florida on January 18, 1976. (Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated)
When he was a rookie, the Cowboys initially lined Fitzgerald up as a defensive tackle, and he spent his rookie season on the taxi squad. In 1971, he moved to the offensive side and served as the backup goalie on the Super Bowl-winning team.
In 1972, the team moved him to center, where he became a starter and remained there until his retirement. From 1973 to 1980, Fitzgerald was the center of a Cowboys offense that finished in the top 10 in total yards in each of those eight seasons.
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Dallas Cowboys offensive linemen Rayfield Wright, Blaine Nye, John Fitzgerald and John Niland run to the line of scrimmage during a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago, September 16, 1973. (Diamond Images/Getty Images)
Fitzgerald was also the focal point of head coach Tom Landry’s reintroduction to the shotgun offense, having no problem getting the ball to Roger Staubach from a greater distance. After the addition of the shotgun offense, the Cowboys made the Super Bowl in three out of four seasons, including a 27-10 victory over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII.
The Cowboys, during Fitzgerald’s 12 seasons at center, experienced significant success, reaching the playoffs 11 times, playing in nine NFC championship games and five Super Bowl appearances, winning two.
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Offensive linemen Rayfield Wright and John Fitzgerald of the Dallas Cowboys block defensive linemen Steve Furness and LC Greenwood of the Pittsburgh Steelers during Super Bowl (Kidwiler Collection/Diamond Images)
Fitzgerald retired in 1982 after being placed on injured reserve before the 1981 season due to a knee injury.
