A key piece of the Dallas Cowboys’ legendary 1970s dynasty is gone.
John Fitzgerald, a longtime Cowboys center and two-time Super Bowl champion, has died at the age of 77, the team confirmed Tuesday. Known as a quiet force on one of the NFL’s most dominant squads, Fitzgerald helped anchor an era that defined Dallas football.
Fitzgerald was part of five Super Bowl teams during his career. He served as a backup when the Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins in 1972, but by 1978, he had locked down the starting center role when Tom Landry’s squad took down the Denver Broncos to capture another title.
In a statement, the Cowboys described Fitzgerald as “the foundation” of Landry’s shotgun offense — a system that helped revolutionize the team’s attack during its peak years.
He spent his entire 12-season career in Dallas, and remarkably, the team never posted a losing record while he was on the roster. Fitzgerald appeared in nine NFC Championship games and made 19 postseason appearances, a staggering level of consistency at the highest level.
Originally a fourth-round pick in 1970 out of Boston College, Fitzgerald wasn’t even expected to play center. The Cowboys initially considered using him on defense after he played both offensive guard and defensive tackle in college. But he found his role in the middle of the offensive line — and never looked back.
By the time he retired in 1982, injuries had started to take a toll, and the Cowboys had already lined up his successor, Tom Rafferty. Still, Fitzgerald’s impact on the franchise was undeniable.
In one of the more surprising twists of his career, he never made a Pro Bowl despite being a cornerstone of multiple championship teams.
Fitzgerald would have turned 78 on Thursday.