John Fitzgerald, a center for the Dallas Cowboys during the 1970s who anchored the team’s offensive line, died on Tuesday. He was 77.
Fitzgerald died two days before his 78th birthday.
The 6-foot-5, 255-pounder was selected by Dallas in the fourth round of the 1970 NFL draft out of Boston College, where he played guard and defensive tackle over three seasons.
Fitzgerald was a backup guard during the Cowboys’ first Super Bowl season in 1971 and was converted to center in 1972, according to the Cowboys’ website.
He took over as starter at center in 1973, and through 1980 he would help Dallas’ offense finish among the NFL’s top 10 teams for total yards in each season. The Cowboys ranked in the top three during five of those seasons.
RIP John Fitzgerald 🕯️#DallasCowboys Center, 1971-80
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) April 16, 2026
Super Bowl VI and XII Champion and four-time NFC Champion
Point person of Dallas's "Zero Club" offensive line and the trigger man for the #Cowboys' bold 1975 re-introduction of the "shotgun" formation pic.twitter.com/PLIl1ALXmL
In 1975, Fitzgerald helped coach Tom Landry make a smooth transition to the shotgun formation, and the Cowboys responded by appearing in the Super Bowl three times over the next four seasons, NBC Sports reported.
Fitzgerald played in 137 regular-season games and started in 109 of them. He also appeared in 19 playoff games and made 13 starts during the postseason.
He was named to Boston College’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1982
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