The Dallas Cowboys are mourning the death of longtime center John Fitzgerald, who passed away mere days before his 78th birthday.
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The team announced the news with a release and said that Fitzgerald passed away on the morning of April 14. The team did not provide a cause of death.
A fourth-round pick in the 1970 NFL Draft, the former Boston College standout spent his entire 12-year career (1970-1981) with the Cowboys. He became a stalwart in the middle of the offensive line after spending his rookie season as a defender on the taxi squad.
Fitzgerald played in 137 games, starting 109, while working with quarterbacks Roger Staubach, Craig Morton, and Danny White. He played multiple positions on the line during his career after originally starting out at guard, and he fit in quite well when the Cowboys switched to a shotgun offense under Tom Landry in 1975.
RIP John Fitzgerald 🕯️#DallasCowboys Center, 1971-80
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
— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) April 16, 2026
Dallas never had a losing season during Fitzgerald's 12-year tenure. In fact, the team had fewer than 10 wins in only one season (1974).
The Cowboys reached the playoffs in 11 of these 12 seasons and the conference championship game in eight. The team played in five Super Bowls during Fitzgerald's career and won two. The Cowboys defeated the Dolphins in Super Bowl 6 and the Broncos in Super Bowl 12.
Fitzgerald did not play a down during his final season with the Cowboys. He landed on Injured Reserve with a knee issue. He ultimately walked away from the NFL ahead of the 1982 season. He was later inducted into the Boston College Athletic Hall of Fame.
While the former Boston College player did not earn a trip to the Pro Bowl during his career, he helped the Cowboys field an offense that never ranked worse than 10th. This unit led the NFL during the 1971, 1978, and 1980 seasons. It ranked second in the league in 1973 and 1977.
